Art Direction: Stephen Kamifuji
Photographer: Jeff Berlin / BerlinCreative.com
Stylist: Hazel Pepper / HazelPepperStylist.com
Model: Anouk Van Kleef / LA Models
Models: Cash Parrott, Peyton Satterfield, Melia Parrott
Makeup: Helen Robertson using CHANEL Les Beiges CelestineAgency.com
Hair: Hailey Adickes / CelestineAgency.com
Photo Assistants: Sed Lanas, Jen Sachs
Location: Special thanks to Parrott Ranch

Jessica's life is about to change.  Written and Directed by Sophia Banks. Produced by Stephen Kamifuji and Robert Steinken, Creative Direction by Sophia Banks, Written by Sophia Banks and Austin Formato, Creative Direction/ Editing by Nick Alexander, Director of Photography Gary Ravenscroft, Music Supervisor Nicole Alexander, Styled by Sophia Banks and Sara Acevedo, Hair by Robert Steinken and Jennifer Baker, Makeup by Luis Casco, Styling Assistants: Omayma Ramzy and Kaiulani Camuso, Camera Assistant: Casey Orthmann. Music: Cinderella by The Knocks featuring Magic Man.

It’s been an exciting couple of months for luxury footwear designer Chloe Gosselin. She has just earned her spot as a finalist for the prestigious CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund prize, only two years after launching her namesake label. The French model-turned-designer may be new on the scene, but she’s far from green. Chloe has been a student of art and fashion her whole life; her collection expresses a storied understanding of shape, texture and a tradition of Italian craftsmanship. She got her start at the La Cambre Fine Arts Program in Brussels, and from there she entered the fast-paced world of fashion as an internationally acclaimed model. But after a whirlwind decade of travel, photoshoots, and runway work, she craved a way to express herself more creatively. She pursued shoemaking and production at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York and Ars Sutoria in Milan, before launching the Chloe Gosselin brand in 2014. Soon she was catching the attention of celebrities like Madonna, Taylor Swift, and Kate Winslet. Her collection ranges from colorful, functional flats to exquisitely designed pumps, evoking feminine elegance and sensuality. She characterizes each style with the name of a poisonous flower—beautiful and dangerous, elevated by elements of exotic materials, bright colors and fierce design details. So when she travels to Los Angeles, where does this designer on the rise, mom, and fiancé of illusionist David Copperfield go for a drink?   –Courtney Fortune

Mayte Garcia’s had a pretty high-profile romantic past including a marriage to rockstar Prince and an engagement to Tommy Lee.  Here, the Puerto Rican beauty shares with our STEPHEN CHRISTOPHER about her new reality tv show, her pet rescue, and why you’ll want to own her new dvd on belly dancing. 

Mayte Garcia (pronounced ‘my-tay’) opens our interview with some frightening reasons we shouldn’t talk about her very famous ex-husband—most of which involve the word lawsuit. Also sprinkled in there was something about a confidentiality agreement and how he protects his private life. Okay, fair enough.

    Mayte stars on a new VH-1 reality show about five ex-wives of famous guys. Blatantly titled Hollywood Exes, it revolves around these women and their desires to strike out on their own. It’s a quirky band of five, who, with just a side eye glance, know how to stir up good reality TV.  

    This Puerto Rican beauty’s ex is the rock star Prince, though, at the time of their two-year marriage, he’d legally changed his name to that swirly yet unpronounceable symbol. They met when she was only sixteen, and six years later, in 1996, they wed on Valentine’s Day. To this day, he remains the love of her life. “He was my first; he was my everything. The marriage was the happiest time of my life.”

    The two led an over-the-top existence. Within five minutes of publicly having a ring on her finger, a reporter caught a glimpse of it, and in less than an hour, the paparazzi were swarming their London hotel. From there, it was on. The Concorde flights to Paris, the couture fashion shows like Chanel and Galliano, the world concert tours, being photographed for Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar by super shooters like Herb Ritts and Patrick Demarchelier. The night clubs in Miami and Los Angeles. Gianni Versace, just one year before his passing, had agreed to design her wedding dress and fly her to Paris for the fitting, but, as Mayte says, “It was ‘someone’ else’s decision not to.”

     With highs come lows. “Getting divorced was one of my saddest times because I felt like a failure and I remember how people’s energy changed toward me. Suddenly I felt like they treated me differently. I felt embarrassed and I caved in. I became a hermit for about a year.” 

    Mayte refutes an internet article stating that the marriage was annulled. “No! We did not annul the marriage,” she says emphatically, “You can’t annul after four years of marriage and a child. You can’t.”

    The child was named Boy Gregory; tragically, he lived only one week. “I can’t believe I survived that. It was hard and took a long time to get through it. There’s nothing you can say to someone who’s lost a child. No words can help. My family and my dogs helped me through it. Up to a year ago, I’d still get very emotional about it.” She adds, “Some couples get closer after such a traumatic experience, others are torn apart.”

    About a year after her divorce she was swept up in a serious two-year whirlwind romance with a post-Pam Anderson tornado named Tommy Lee. Now, just the mention of his name and she bursts out laughing. “Tommy was Tommy. He was a kid. The romance happened within two days. We started dating after one month, I moved in two months later, and we got engaged after just six months. As crazy as it was, he was exactly what I needed at the time.” 

    With no beau currently in her life, Mayte hopes to find love and have two children. Until then, her attention is on animals and on the nonprofit shelter rescue she started, MaytesRescue.com. She recently rescued one that was pregnant and helped deliver all ten adorable Chug (Chihuahua/Pug) puppies, one of which, incidentally, found a home because of this interview.

    When Mayte was only eight, she appeared on That’s Incredible as the world’s youngest professional belly dancer. She’s considered by many to be one of the best there is. “I also feel like it’s gotten me to where I am, because of the confidence and empowerment it’s given me. Even the most beautiful woman in the world could be in the room and I feel I blow her away when I’m dancing. Not in
a physical sense, but there’s something sensual—a strength and confidence that comes out where everyone else melts away. I’ve always felt that. It’s not even about what I’m wearing. I can be in a raggedy old skirt and everybody will be like, ‘Wow, that’s strong. That’s powerful!’ ”

     Mayte wants other women to feel this empowerment and has made a belly dancing how-to DVD. “It’s in us naturally as women. It’s the simple act of breathing—your chest expanding and contracting. It’s about isolation, which leads to undulation, which leads to figure eights—all the things that we do as women. You see yourself doing movements you never thought you could do.”

    Mayte’s secret to being sexy? “First, do stuff for yourself. Go work out. Go for a walk. Cook. Plant. Walk your dog. Do things that you want to do. Then take a belly-dance class or buy my DVD at bellydance.com.”

Art Director: Stephen Kamifuji
Photographer: Yoshi Ohara / YoshiOhara.com
Stylist: Amy Mach / AmyMach.com
Makeup: Patrick Tumey / CelestineAgency.com
Hair: Kristin Heitkotter / CelestineAgency.com
Stylist Assistant: Alden Styles
Location: The Crescent Hotel, Beverly Hills / CrescentHotelGroup.com

Mayte Garcia’s had a pretty high-profile romantic past including a marriage to rockstar Prince and an engagement to Tommy Lee.  Here, the Puerto Rican beauty shares with our STEPHEN CHRISTOPHER about her new reality tv show, her pet rescue, and why you’ll want to own her new dvd on belly dancing. 

Mayte Garcia (pronounced ‘my-tay’) opens our interview with some frightening reasons we shouldn’t talk about her very famous ex-husband—most of which involve the word lawsuit. Also sprinkled in there was something about a confidentiality agreement and how he protects his private life. Okay, fair enough.

    Mayte stars on a new VH-1 reality show about five ex-wives of famous guys. Blatantly titled Hollywood Exes, it revolves around these women and their desires to strike out on their own. It’s a quirky band of five, who, with just a side eye glance, know how to stir up good reality TV.  

    This Puerto Rican beauty’s ex is the rock star Prince, though, at the time of their two-year marriage, he’d legally changed his name to that swirly yet unpronounceable symbol. They met when she was only sixteen, and six years later, in 1996, they wed on Valentine’s Day. To this day, he remains the love of her life. “He was my first; he was my everything. The marriage was the happiest time of my life.”

    The two led an over-the-top existence. Within five minutes of publicly having a ring on her finger, a reporter caught a glimpse of it, and in less than an hour, the paparazzi were swarming their London hotel. From there, it was on. The Concorde flights to Paris, the couture fashion shows like Chanel and Galliano, the world concert tours, being photographed for Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar by super shooters like Herb Ritts and Patrick Demarchelier. The night clubs in Miami and Los Angeles. Gianni Versace, just one year before his passing, had agreed to design her wedding dress and fly her to Paris for the fitting, but, as Mayte says, “It was ‘someone’ else’s decision not to.”

     With highs come lows. “Getting divorced was one of my saddest times because I felt like a failure and I remember how people’s energy changed toward me. Suddenly I felt like they treated me differently. I felt embarrassed and I caved in. I became a hermit for about a year.” 

    Mayte refutes an internet article stating that the marriage was annulled. “No! We did not annul the marriage,” she says emphatically, “You can’t annul after four years of marriage and a child. You can’t.”

    The child was named Boy Gregory; tragically, he lived only one week. “I can’t believe I survived that. It was hard and took a long time to get through it. There’s nothing you can say to someone who’s lost a child. No words can help. My family and my dogs helped me through it. Up to a year ago, I’d still get very emotional about it.” She adds, “Some couples get closer after such a traumatic experience, others are torn apart.”

    About a year after her divorce she was swept up in a serious two-year whirlwind romance with a post-Pam Anderson tornado named Tommy Lee. Now, just the mention of his name and she bursts out laughing. “Tommy was Tommy. He was a kid. The romance happened within two days. We started dating after one month, I moved in two months later, and we got engaged after just six months. As crazy as it was, he was exactly what I needed at the time.” 

    With no beau currently in her life, Mayte hopes to find love and have two children. Until then, her attention is on animals and on the nonprofit shelter rescue she started, MaytesRescue.com. She recently rescued one that was pregnant and helped deliver all ten adorable Chug (Chihuahua/Pug) puppies, one of which, incidentally, found a home because of this interview.

    When Mayte was only eight, she appeared on That’s Incredible as the world’s youngest professional belly dancer. She’s considered by many to be one of the best there is. “I also feel like it’s gotten me to where I am, because of the confidence and empowerment it’s given me. Even the most beautiful woman in the world could be in the room and I feel I blow her away when I’m dancing. Not in
a physical sense, but there’s something sensual—a strength and confidence that comes out where everyone else melts away. I’ve always felt that. It’s not even about what I’m wearing. I can be in a raggedy old skirt and everybody will be like, ‘Wow, that’s strong. That’s powerful!’ ”

     Mayte wants other women to feel this empowerment and has made a belly dancing how-to DVD. “It’s in us naturally as women. It’s the simple act of breathing—your chest expanding and contracting. It’s about isolation, which leads to undulation, which leads to figure eights—all the things that we do as women. You see yourself doing movements you never thought you could do.”

    Mayte’s secret to being sexy? “First, do stuff for yourself. Go work out. Go for a walk. Cook. Plant. Walk your dog. Do things that you want to do. Then take a belly-dance class or buy my DVD at bellydance.com.”

Unici Casa Presents The Genlux + BritWeek Designer of the Year Award presented to Julien MacDonald. 

Art Direction: STEPHEN KAMIFUJI
Photographer: TRACEY MORRIS / TraceyMorris.com
Stylist: CHRIS HORAN / Tomlinson Management / TMG-LA.com
Model: JENNY SEVERYNENKO / Industry Model Management
Hair and Makeup: PAUL VENOIT / Wilhelmina Artists NY
Digital Tech: ROBERT MORRIS

With this past year’s loosened embargo between the United States and Cuba—and passenger flights primed for take-off—Genlux toasts our Latino neighbors just 227 miles south of Miami with a fashion story inspired by Cuban flavor. Salud!

Art Direction: Stephen Kamifuji
Photography: Nicholas Routzen / nicholasroutzen.com
Stylist: Ise White / Factory Downtown
Model: Yara Khmidan / Wilhelmina
Hair/Makeup: Daniel P / Creative Management mc2 using MAC Cosmetics and Oribe
Assistant Stylist: Laura Coelho

Genlux video of Kiki Sukezane of NBC's Heroes. 

Art Direction: Stephen Kamifuji
Photographer: Tracey Morris / TraceyMorris.com
Stylist: Juli Alvarez / Julialvarez.com
Hair: Cynthia Adams Hair / Oribe Texturizer Spray / Russell Halley Resources
Makeup: Jordy Poon
Lighting Assistant: Manny Zabaleta
Model: Ksenia / IMG Models

Art Direction: Stephen Kamifuji
Photography: Yoshi Ohara / YoshiOhara.com
Stylist: Holly Copeland / The Rex Agency
Model: Taylor Howard / Wilhelmina Models / LA
Hair: Johnny Stuntz / Crosby Carter Mgmt.
Makeup: Uzo for NARS Cosmetics / Tracey Mattingly
Manicure: Allison Burns / Crosby Carter Mgmt.
Videography: Darren Stone
Makeup Assistant: Rebecca Abraham
Photo Assistant: Glenn Sawa
Photo Assistant: Tadahiro Nakamura

Art Director: Stephen Kamifuji
Photographer: Dove Shore / ASAartists.com
Stylist: Sophia Banks-Colomo / SophiaBanksColomo.com
Model: Kendall Jenner / Wilhelmina Models
Makeup Artist: Brandi Cecil
Hair: Luc Chamberlain / StarworksArtists.com
Manicure: Elisa Wishan / mobelisa.com using Nail Harmony
1st Photo Assistant: Scott Hankinson; 2nd Photo Assistant: Channing Wells
Location: Sur Restaurant, West Hollywood / surrestaurantandbar.com

GENLUX Summer Issue Featuring Chrissy Metz, star of NBC’s emmy-winning drama This is Us! Also featured in this issue are actress Meagan Good, fitness guru Jill de Jong, and actress Scottie Thompson.

Art Direction: Stephen Kamifuji
Photographer: Shelli Wright / ShelliWrightPhotoworks.com
Stylist: Audrey Brianne / AudreyBrianne.com
Model: Kelli Ilves / LA Models
Makeup: Cecilia Moreno / Genlux
Hair: Marina Migliaccio / The Rex Agency
Manicure: Denise Bourne / The Rex Agency using OPI
Stylist Assistant: Kassey Rich
Retouching: Lila Joy Ginsburg

On September 14, 2014, Genlux Magazine launched their latest issue with a star-studded and posh event at the Luxe Rodeo Drive Hotel in Beverly Hills, California. With support from Westime and Beverly Hills BMW, Genlux honored its latest cover star and first ever-male cover subject Grammy Award-winning jazz trumpeter Chris Botti.

In order to properly celebrate this milestone, the magazine joined forces with Rodeo Drive Committee and the City of Beverly Hills to block off the legendary Rodeo Drive for the evening and successfully threw one of the city's biggest events since Andrea Bocelli performed on the famous street 15 years ago.  

The night featured an outstanding musical performance on the street of Rodeo Drive by Botti himself accompanied by violinist Caroline Campbell, bassist Richie Goods, and singer George Komsky—to name a few. 1,000 VIP guests including television and film personalities such as Jesse Metcalfe, Amy Paffrath, and Sadie Calvano attended the event as well.

Following the performance, guests moved to the Luxe Rodeo Drive Hotel to enjoy tacos provided by Jaliscos Mobile Taco Grill and to indulge in sinfully decadent treats from Polkadots Cupcakes.  They sipped on beverages from Svedka Vodka and Monster energy drinks while dancing to old-school pop tunes courtesy of Los Angeles Deejay Company (LADJCO).

Botti was welcomed with cheers and Genlux was beyond pleased with the turnout and overall reception.  The success of this event suggests great things for the magazine’s future capacity to provide all-encompassing coverage of luxury lifestyle trends. 

###

Chris Botti

Chris Botti is an internationally renowned jazz trumpeter widely recognized for his masterful fusion of jazz and pop music.  In 2013, he won the Grammy Award for Best Pop Instrumental Album after having been nominated multiple times in both 2008 and 2010. He has had four albums reach no.1 on the Billboard Jazz chart and has performed and recorded with musical greats including Sting, Yo-Yo Ma, Barbra Streisand, and Andrea Bocelli.   

Genlux Magazine

As Southern California’s leading regional luxury magazine, Genlux Magazine provides focused content on fashion, beauty, and philanthropy. Having provided its readership with the latest in fashion trends, beauty tips, and and charitable news for the past ten years, Genlux has established a solid reputation as an influential style publication.

Westtime

Westime is recognized as one of the world’s preeminent retail destinations for spectacular watches and jewelry. Featuring collections from only the finest international watch brands, Westime is widely understood to be a central figure in the fine watch-making industry.

BMW Group

The BMW Group is a household international name and is one of the most successful manufacturers of automobiles and motorcycles in the world. Operating in more than 140 countries, the group manages the BMW, MINI, Husqvarna Motorcycles, and Rolls-Royce brands.  

Andie MacDowell is, at 57 (as evidenced by these unretouched  Genlux photos) as stunning and sexy as ever.  She shares openly with our Stephen Christopher about equality, her heartbreaking childhood, why she downsized her home, and the one thing she’s never told anyone before. 

The phone rings and Andie MacDowell’s unmistakable voice—that sweet, lilting Southern drawl that we fell hard for in Sex, Lies and Videotape, Four Weddings and a Funeral, Groundhog Day, Bad Girls, Green Card, and Multiplicity, resonates across the line from Vancouver. She’s there filming Hallmark Channel’s first original-scripted primetime series, Cedar Cove (third season), and stars as Judge Olivia Lockhart.

     I break the news to Andie that her Genlux photos are so spectacular—so flawless—we’ve decided not to retouch them. I explain we’re going to run them ‘as is’—not a stitch of photoshopping. “Fantastic!” she fires back, surprisingly unfazed. “Some lines are kind of sexy. Some people say men get sexier with age, but so do women. The idea that men are allowed to get older, but women are not, is an old rule that’s being broken.”

    Broken, indeed. Andie certainly makes her own best case. Now 57, she looks nearly half her age. “I know I’m equal and as beautiful and sexy as any man my age,” she says convincingly. “There are a lot of women out there full of vibrancy. Take Jane Fonda. Can you find a man who looks as good as her at 77? I ran into Jane at Cannes. She was preparing to speak at an event that evening, and well, there she was, sitting on the ground like a 16-year-old, writing her own speech. Life’s about embracing your age and having fun—right where you’re at—not where you were before. Of course you’re not that any more. You’ve already been that.”

    Even in the beauty biz where young models dominate the landscape, Andie, who’s nearing her record 30th year as a spokeswoman for L’Oréal, is feeling her best years are the present. “There’s an empowerment to where I’m at now. I don’t feel inadequate or that youth dominates me in any way. I feel my experiences and knowledge are cards to my beauty. You get the whole package. Youth can only take you so far. I now have so much more to offer.” 

    Andie also imparts some of her perennial beauty wisdom: Get a good night’s sleep (at least eight hours), eat organic (lots of fruits and vegetables), be active (ride bikes, takes long hikes, cross-country ski), moisturize (she’s always used L’Oréal Revitalift), and use lots of sunblock. The result? How about not requiring photoshop—even into your late fifties.

      Born Rosalie Anderson MacDowell (friends still call her Rose) in Gaffney, South Carolina, she opens up about her unhappy childhood. “My mother was an alcoholic, and my father left when I was only six. My mother was sweet and kind, but I had to take care of myself—and her—my whole life. She had a nervous breakdown right after I was born, and when she came back she started drinking. My childhood was never truly a childhood. I’ve been an adult my entire life.”

At 17, before heading off to college, Andie, forever the responsible one, staged an intervention for her mother at her uncle’s home...but sadly, it failed. Her mother simply would not get out of the car. “I’ve never told anyone this before,” Andie says, putting me on high alert. “My mother had shock treatments when she had the nervous breakdown after having me, so I think she was afraid of what was going to happen if she went inside that house. The doctor came down to the car and said if she didn’t get help, she would be dead in five years—and he was right.”

    In 1978, Andie signed with New York’s prestigious Elite Models. The famous one-name models like Esme and Iman were big at the time, but the name Rose was already taken, so the agency decided to call her Mac. Well, that lasted about three days. John Casablancas, the agency president, got wind of it commenting it sounded like a truck, and recrowned her Andie, and it stuck.

    With a new moniker and a new portfolio, Andie set off for Paris—and killed it. She worked every day—even weekends—and she loved it. But during this happiest of times, she would receive the saddest letter of her life. “Here’s the heartbreaker,” Andie warns me. “You really want to take out your heart and throw it against the wall? I got a letter from my mother.” Andie pauses, and I can hear her choking back tears, her voice thinning. “She wrote me a letter that said she’d stopped drinking. She quit drinking her last year and told me that she was so proud of me and that I didn’t deserve to have a mother who drank. I was so busy that year I didn’t get to see her. I didn’t go home for Thanksgiving because I was working…and then she died. I still have that letter. I never experienced her not drinking—that was the sad thing.”

     Andie’s relationship with her father was no easier. He remarried, and though Andie had desperately wanted him in her life, he wasn’t always available. Then, the year preceding his passing, he was placed in a care facility in Charlotte for dementia and Andie finally had the access she’d longed for. “It was amazing, and we connected and bonded like you couldn’t believe,” she says. “I can’t tell you how healing it was that year to go see him and sit with him and nurture and love him.  I fed him and soothed him and comforted him. It healed everything that was broken inside of me. All the pain and hurt that I carried around melted away. More than any other gift I could have received, that was the one—because I wanted and needed and desired his love, but it was something I could never
touch. There’s no greater power than being able to love someone like that. I used to be so afraid of the pain I would feel at his funeral, but when I went, there was no pain.”

     Now twice divorced, Andie has three children: Justin, 28, Rainey, 25, and Margaret, 25, with first husband, Paul Qualley. “I talk to my kids about changing and improving. They can improve on me. I let them know, ‘You have that option to make things better. To break patterns.’ And my children know everything about me. We just talk openly and don’t hide stuff. We’re connected in a really deep and beautiful way, and they’re allowed to be their true selves. It’s a constant healing process of changing how families work.”

     But if there’s one thing that gets this woman’s goat, it’s this: “I feel equal [to men] even though I’m not treated equal. I’m baffled and confused, because my soul knows women deserve to be on an equal playing field with men. I’m not going to live my life diminished.”

    Politics aside, Andie’s ready to rumble for women’s equality her way.  “I do like a man who will open the door for me,” she admits. “But if you want me to open the door for you, if that’s what I have to do to get treated as worthy and as valuable, then yeah, I’ll open the door for you. I can still be feminine and equal, I don’t have to start dressing like a man to fight this battle. I can do it in heels.”

    When it comes to pitchin’ in, Andie’s all in. She’s been the national spokesperson for both The Ovarian Cancer Research Fund and the American Heart Association. She also put two thousand acres of her Montana ranch in a conservation easement with the Montana Land Reliance (it’s now protected in perpetuity) and she’s also the quickest vetted board member of the National Forest Foundation.

    One game changer for Andie came during a visit to a shantytown church in Capetown, South Africa. There, she came face-to-face with severe poverty. Moved deeply, she put her 11,000-square-foot home on the market and downsized to 2,500. “What I saw there blew my mind. Utter poverty. Tears flowed like water out of my eyes—like someone turned on a faucet. My heart just kept breaking open and I had a transformation. I came home and just couldn’t live in that big house any more when the world existed in such poverty.” 

    As we’re about to jump off the call, Andie pauses and asks if I want to hear the truth about why she sold the house. “The truth is I just didn’t want so many bathtubs. It made me sick to have so many bathtubs that weren’t being used. These people didn’t have a bathtub. I came back and no longer wanted stuff. I’m happier now with much, much less. On such a deep level, sometimes I have this Buddhist part of me that could be happy wearing a purple robe and holding a bowl,” she says, half-joking. “There’s that piece of me that could be really happy doing that.”

In August of 1974, Beverly Johnson was the first African-American to grace the cover of Vogue. While she became a massive star in the world of glossy magazines and high-profile parties, her personal life would collapse under the weight of addiction, loss, and the unrelenting standards of a cutthroat industry. As COURTNEY FORTUNE finds, Beverly would emerge as an icon, role model, and an author whose new book, The Face That Changed It All recently made it on the New York Times Best Sellers list. 

Beverly Johnson is a very busy woman. When I finally catch up with her I can hear the chaos of her everyday life blaring in the background. She’s running errands, wrangling her two dogs, and recovering from last night’s “Ladies That Lead” gala in West Los Angeles. She has also just returned from another book tour for her new memoir, The Face That Changed It All, which recently made the New York Times Best-Seller List.

Having grown up shy and bookish in her hometown of Buffalo, New York, becoming a supermodel and busting beauty standards wasn’t exactly on the radar for Johnson. Her natural style and dynamic presence would garner attention, and during a summer break from studying law at Northeastern University she got the opportunity to interview with Conde Nast editor Alex-ander Liberman. He booked her immediately, pulling her into the wild world of professional modeling—and from the moment she stepped in front of the camera she had one goal in mind: to make the cover of Vogue.
     Her life became a flurry of high-profile shoots with fashion’s famous photographers, and appearances on the pages of Vogue, Glamour and Essence Magazine. Beverly was quickly becoming an ‘it’ girl, but strict standards of conventional beauty held her back from what she really wanted. Even her first agent, the notorious Eileen Ford, who once claimed Beverly (then 5’-9” and 125 pounds) was “too fat,” didn’t believe she could make the Vogue cover. That’s when she left to join Wilhelmina Models and would receive the infamous call that not only launched her into stardom, but made her an icon in the world of fashion and beauty.

    In August 1974, before covers exclusively featured celebrity faces, it was the job of the models to sell the issue. Models never knew they had made the cover until it hit newsstands, which as grueling as that sounds, definitely made for a better story. So obvious or not, I had to ask, “What was it like to get that call?” She describes throwing on clothes and running full-tilt to the nearest kiosk, where she waited in line, and upon realizing she didn’t have enough change, was turned away. “I knew being on the cover of Vogue was where I needed to be in my career, but I wasn’t aware of the impact it would have,” she says. “I became an overnight role model, which was something I was not prepared for.”
    A fresh-faced Beverly Johnson became the first African-American woman to appear on the cover of the landmark fashion magazine, an instant symbol of change and precedence for young black models everywhere. “It was a journey of my self-discovery about race. It was a gift.” In her book she describes how her cover could be found on the shelves of every grocery store and every newsstand—and she wanted the world to know that she wasn’t just a “top black model,” she was a top model.
    Beverly was a rising star, transforming from girl to icon at lightning speed. There were endless nights of hard partying and star-studded events with friends like Jackie Kennedy, Halston and Andy Warhol, and stars like Elizabeth Taylor, Michael Jackson and Keith Richards. She traveled to exotic locations and walked the walk of the celebrity lifestyle. But with all that came the fabled pitfalls of fast fame. In her memoir, she calls out the industry as a “toxic mix of deceit, manipulation, abuse and backstabbing,” which her collection of experiences can attest to. She was thrust into a world of cutthroat competition, lawless wealth, partying, drug addiction and severe weight management. “I was emotionally stunted in a world that’s all about outside beauty. All of a sudden, as a young girl you have all this money, but you’re naïve, so you make outlandish choices. This life had its own set of rules.” 
    To starve herself to a desired 103 pounds, Beverly would drink black coffee and Champagne and began using cocaine. Drugs were everywhere, accessible and encouraged, and she soon became a full-blown addict. Then in 1983, she suffered a near overdose. She had hit her rock bottom—broke, out of work, and battling her ex-husband, Danny Sims, over the custody of their daughter, Anansa. 

Her book chronicles these true-life experiences with attentive detail—though she’s careful not to preach. “I’m standing my ground in my truth,” she says. “I wanted to tell my story and create an experience for someone, rather than construct some kind of message. This is the real story about my life.” She eventually got help, got her daughter back, and gained new perspective on her life. She was also ready to talk about her secrets.
    Beverly was in the news this year for revealing that she
was drugged by actor/comedian Bill Cosby in his home. At first the chapter describing her experience had been pulled from the book for legal liability, but as more and more women began to emerge, she was given the opportunity to speak out. “Women have been trying to tell their story,” she says. “But people just didn’t want to hear it.” This, she says, is why it was important to talk about it. 
    Beverly Johnson has now entered a new season of her career. She has launched a lifestyle brand, is on tour with her book, and has a possible mini-series in the works. But most important, she’s found happiness in her struggle and redemption—and in her many roles, which include top model, businesswoman, daughter, mother and grandma. 
    It wasn’t easy to relive the trials that defined the rise and fall (and rise again) of this pioneering supermodel, but she is now finding strength in her past. Beverly’s story will continue to ignite and inspire those who aim to defy expectations in the fashion world and beyond. “I’m smarter than I’ve ever been, stronger than I ever thought, and having the best time of my life.” 

Photo Credits:"

Art Director: Stephen Kamifuji
Photographer: Tracey Morris / TraceyMorris.com
Stylist: Santa Bevacqua / santabevacqua.foliodrop.com
Makeup Artist: Uzo for NARS Cosmetics / Tracey Mattingly
Hair Stylist: Johnny Stuntz / CrosbyCarterMgmt.com
Manicure: Allison Burns / CrosbyCarterMgmt.com
Assistant Stylist: Hazel Pepper
Makeup Assistant: Rebecca Abraham
Videographer: Darren Stone

Living by the Sword

Meet television’s newest superhero, Kiki Sukezane, who stars on  NBC’sHeroes Reborn. As our STEPHEN CHRISTOPHER finds, there’s one thing this sword-wielding badass hopes she never has to face. 

If serendipitous events float your boat, you’ll enjoy the one about actress Kiki Sukezane. Every week for about two years—ever since landing in LA from Japan—the five-foot-one Kiki, trained at a sword-fighting class in Santa Monica. One day, Lisa McBride, the mother of another student, approached her. “She told me her friend was a casting director for a new show on NBC called Heroes Reborn,” Kiki says in her slightly broken English. “And they happened to be looking for a Japanese girl who could sword-fight.” What are the odds? A few days later, a tape showcasing her martial-arts skills was submitted, and shortly thereafter, an audition was arranged. Needless to say, Kiki nailed it, and now appears as Miko Otomo, the sword-wielding superhero who enters a comic book and slays bad guys as Katana Girl. But if there’s one thing this badass warrior never wants to confront, it’s this. “I hate frogs! They’re soft and green and easy to smash. I don’t even want to think about them. They give me goose bumps.”

If all continues as planned, Kiki hopes to emulate one of her own heroes, Angelina Jolie. “I hope to become deeply involved in humanitarian work. Helping others is why I wanted to be an actor in the first place—to have a bigger voice.” Now, as she’s headed back up to Toronto to finish filming, she also hopes her role on
Heroes Reborn gets picked up next year. “Yep, I just hope they make season two.”   

Genlux celebrated the Holiday issue release with an event under the stars in Beverly Hills at The Rodeo Collection. The event was hosted by Charlotte D. Harrington, Throne Beauty and the cover model Beverly Johnson. Guests enjoyed the photographic exhibition by photographer Robert Steinken as they sipped on Svedka Vodka cocktails.Some guests were lucky enough to have Beverly sign her new New York Times Bestseller, The Face that Changed it All. Special thanks to Richard and Gina Alexander, and Shelby Jill for making this event possible. Also thanks to John Sugrue and OCLA Events. Special thanks to Paul Palacios from Hint Water and Tiffany Ortega of Monster Energy Drinks and Hansens Natural. 

Kiki Sukezane of NBC's Heroes Reborn chimes in on Genlux Magazine's My Favorite Things.

Art Director: Stephen Kamifuji
Photographer: Tracey Morris / TraceyMorris.com
Stylist: Wouri Vice /  WouriVice.com
Market Editor: DeAndre Decosta
Hair and Makeup by: Paul Venoit/ Wilhelmina
Model: Kate Wagoner/ Next Direct NYC

The Katz Meow
Who is that stylish philanthropist with the model’s good looks who recently completed her tenure as vice chairman of the Kennedy Center’s National Committee for the Performing Arts? That one—the tireless supporter of so many charities including downtown LA’s Dream Center? She’s Kelly Fisher Katz. 

Our CATHERINE WILLIAMS caught up with Kelly in hubby Martin Katz’s Jewel Suite at the Towers at the New York Palace Hotel. 

I spot Kelly Fisher Katz across the living room of the Martin Katz Jewel Suite at the Towers at the New York Palace Hotel in Manhattan. As she glides across the room to greet me (and yes, she glides), I am reminded of why I’m so fond of her. Kelly is one of those rare women who commands attention without demanding it; unfailingly elegant but not without spunk. She’s the fiercely loyal friend who always has your back. 
    “I’m working today, so I’m doing a casual day,” she says, explaining her jeans. Her look of jeans, a Chanel jacket, Alaia walking shoes, and a Birkin slung across her arm is nonetheless photo ready. Kelly insists on a glass of wine as we tour the suite. As part of a $140-million renovation of the New York Palace Hotel, Kelly’s husband, famed jewelry designer Martin Katz, was chosen to design the lavish three-story jewel-themed suite. Martin’s brilliant designs are on display everywhere, but the breathtaking interior design is Kelly’s.
   As we settle onto a sapphire-blue sofa, it occurs to me that Kelly could easily add ‘sought-after interior designer’ to her already full résumé. “It was a labor of love. We designed everything from the artwork to some of the furniture. Every book I chose is something that Martin is passionate about. Everything reflects the idea of luxurious jewels. When you rent the suite, you live amongst a million dollars worth of jewels.” 
    The Jewel Suite marks the first interior design project for Martin and Kelly, though since winning the prestigious Gold Key award in 2014 for Best Suite, they have had numerous offers to design other hotels, a bar, and even a private plane. “We have to figure out how much we can do. We’re a small team and we are really in the jewelry business. Now I’m into the interior design world. It’s like a new career, which is exciting.”
    Scheduling is the key. Between traveling for her own career as a spokesperson and voiceover artist, and for her husband’s business, Kelly’s plate is full. But there is always time to indulge her love of fashion. “I love Chanel. I was very blessed to be invited to the couture show in January when Karl Lagerfeld turned the Grand Palais into a brasserie. Oh, my goodness, it was just incredible!” She gushes about Alexander McQueen, Alaia, and her penchant for collecting Hermès bags. And of course, Tom Ford. “I think he’s a genius and so multi-talented. The man does everything well.” But she is quick to add, “Talking about designers can sound so over the top. I am not always that fancy girl. I really love being in jeans and a t-shirt. That’s my comfort level too.”
    Beyond her impeccable style, attention must be paid to Kelly’s role as a driven philanthropist. “I get the most satisfaction from helping people and doing my charity work.” She’s a champion for arts education, and I sense her frustration with the lack of artistic opportunities for children. “We don’t have a budget for arts educators in the state of California.” It’s a problem she has worked tirelessly to remedy. Kelly spent years on the board of PS Arts in Los Angeles and just completed her tenure as vice chairman of the Kennedy Center’s National Committee for the Performing Arts, which works to fund and create arts education projects for children. “We want to make sure that every child can be exposed to the arts at some level. You never know how they will be inspired. They could go to a ballet once, be inspired, and it follows them through their life and they wind up in a career in the arts. It’s really all about educating children.”
    Kelly is also an ardent supporter of the Dream Center in downtown LA. And she isn’t just writing checks. She’s a hands-on participant, counseling drug- and alcohol-addicted men and supporting human-trafficking victims. As she shares several stories of lives that were utterly transformed by the Dream Center, her enthusiasm is contagious. “You can’t help but be moved if you go there; it’s a phenomenal place.”
    Her compassion and commitment are refreshingly genuine, and seem to bring her own charmed life into focus. “I’m so grateful for my health and my family. And I have the most wonderful friends. We count our blessings whenever we’re together. We talk about it, we acknowledge it. I think if you can get a good group of friends who become your family, that’s a big blessing.” I couldn’t agree more.

Art Direction: Stephen Kamifuji
Photographer: Joseph Chen / JosephChenStudio.cm
Fashion Editor / Stylist: Freddie Leiba / Bryan Bantry
Model: Zhanna Brass / New York Model Management
Makeup Artist: Mark Edio / See Management
Hair Stylist: Robert Medford / Jed Root
Ist Assisatnt: Eunji Kim
Post Production: Sari Brett Morgenstern

Ireland Baldwin is the charming 6-foot-2-inch daughter of superstar parents Alec Baldwin and Kim Basinger.  Yes, that daughter...once the center of a tumultuous custody battle. 

Now, as that storm has calmed, she’s quickly discovered that ‘overcoming’ may be life’s best revenge.

Ireland Baldwin, 19, bears genuine Hollywood royalty in her DNA—the daughter of not one, but two bona-fide superstars. Dad is Alec Baldwin, and Mom is Kim Basinger. The couples’ ‘War of the Roses’ divorce and contentious custody battle for Ireland hit center stage when Alec’s angry voicemail to Ireland (allegedly, she wasn’t taking his phone calls) was leaked to the public. She was only 11. That storm has finally passed, and recently, Alec and Kim teamed up to gift Ireland with a new Ford pickup—for being accepted to college. Here, the tomboy-at-heart tackles our Genlux Two-Word Questionnaire.  

You're wearing? I’m wearing Unif boots, one of my favorite ankle boots, and a Unif army jacket. My shirt is by Huxley. It says ‘Hell Was Full So I Came Back.’ It’s pretty sick. I have a University of Georgia shirt tied around my waist because I’m an honorary Southern girl.

GPS Location? I was born in Beverly Hills, but I like to consider myself a citizen of the world, because I’ve bounced around. I’m a traveler, explorer. I grew up in LA, but have lived in a different place almost every year of my life.

First gig? At 16 I signed to IMG models. It was fun in the beginning, being able to travel…though it was also frustrating to see my friends excel in school and go on to the collegiate level of sports. I was envious of that, but I was traveling and meeting phenomenal people.

Favorite shoot? My first shoot was an editorial for Elle magazine. That’s the first shoot I worked with Joe Zee, whom I’ve worked with again and again. He’s such great energy. I just love him. He was styling the shoot. It was so easy and fun and the beginning of everything.

Hardest time?  My parents split up when I was 7 or 8. I was living in New York and my mom moved me back to LA. My dad stayed in New York. My parents had a long custody battle over me. It was a bloody divorce. I don’t believe any child should have to speak to lawyers and deal with that. That took up a big chunk of my life. I was being dragged and torn in different directions. The entire situation took away my identity, and I did whatever would make whomever happy in the moment.

Bad decisions? These past two years were a blur—I disappeared emotionally and was in a dark place, and ended up in rehab. When I first got there I didn’t understand why I was there or what it all meant, but then I really engaged and buckled down and dealt with things that I needed to deal with. I tied it back to my parents and we got so much closer.

Famous folks? I was pretty well aware of their celebrity from the jump. The day I was born, my dad got arrested because he sprayed a photographer’s windshield. True story: I was about 10 and sitting with my friend and we watched 9 ½ Weeks. And I saw my mother in 8 Mile when I was young. I always looked at it as art. I knew from a very early age that they were famous.

Self-esteem? I never looked in the mirror and thought, “You are so hot.” It took a lot of other people to believe in me before I could believe in myself. It was my trainer, my nutritionist, my stylist, my agent—all who believed in me. 

Favorite quote? I like what Audrey Hepburn said: “I believe that happy girls are the prettiest girls.”

Happy ending? I’m really happy now that I’m at David Todd [modeling agency], I’m passionate about modeling again and I’m in a healthy relationship with my manager. It’s an open and honest relationship. He’s helped me to let it go and not stress about working out—to be happy. He tells me, “You’re going to be happy when you’re not manic.” Now that I’m kind of just doing it and finding my own way, it’s much better.

Your spirituality? I think God is a woman. Some days I think God is a tree. My higher power is experience. I connect more spiritually through the beauty I see in nature. Or having a conversation with someone who has the vibe of being a spiritual being. I pick up on energy.

Life lesson? I stopped writing for two years. I didn’t write a thing. But being out of the world and pent up in this little beautiful rehab, I would sit out there from the moment I woke up in the morning and write for five or six hours. There was this one man at the treatment center…we’d talk for three hours every night. I hadn’t learned more in my entire lifetime than during those talks with him. He lives in Louisiana. His name is Steve. My rehab brought me into conversation, patience, and into love.

DNA change? I’m the most disorganized organized person. I’m a mess. I’m so impatient. I get impatient and manic about things. I’m a perfectionist, so I’d like to be more mellow. I’m critical and judgmental about my own things, but not about other people.

Your fashion? I’m so wishy-washy about fashion. I’m all visual. When I see an outfit or collection, I can really appreciate the manufacturing and art and science behind making clothes, but in terms of my own dressing, I’m lazy. Truth be told, I’m a lazy California girl who’s in yoga pants or beach bikini.

Genlux shoot? This was one of the best shoots I’ve ever done. I loved the stylist.

Latest victory? Going out on my own and going to college at New York Film Academy for cinematography.

Your type? I don’t have a type. I’m into every type of guy. I have no limitations. Today’s model is so good looking. I want to ride on his back into the sunset.

What's next? I just started a new brand called Babes of Anarchy. It’s more of a blog—a creative space for people to share. I was anorexic and had bulimia for five or six years of my life, so I knew there was the need for a positive place for girls to go to tell their stories.

Favorite charities? I’m a crazy animal advocate, so I’d say the SPCA and PETA. I’m a non-fur girl. Many times I’ve turned down wearing fur on a shoot. I won’t even wear boots that have fur trim.

Favorite burger? Okay, if we’re talking grimy road burger, I get a three-by-three at In-N-Out with whole grilled onions, no lettuce and tomato, because we don’t have time for that. I’ve done a four-by-four. I’ve even gone five-by-five. There’s this one place, Byron Burger in London, that’s amazing…and Surf Burger in Pensacola. Here, there’s Golden State Burger on Fairfax. The best burger is at Father’s Office. I used my ‘fake’ just to get a burger there. It’s worth a fake ID. I like cheese fries. Umami Burger’s the bomb too.

Your diet? It’s just about being in a healthy mind frame. It’s not complicated. It’s what works for you. Yeah, I want to eat burgers and pizza every day.

Best man? My dad’s always been the coolest guy in my life. He’s intelligent and he knows about so many things. I’ve always adored him.

Your mom? We're very close. My mom’s an artist and one of those people who tries something one time and becomes really good at it. She’s surfing now.

Your future? I’m really excited. My heart is healthy, my head is healthy, and I’m feeling like a new girl…as cheesy as that sounds. I’m seeing good things.

Art Director: Stephen Kamifuji
Photographer: Joseph Chen / josephchenstudio.com
Talent: Ireland Baldwin / dtmodelmanagement.com
Model: Brent Clancy / dtmodelmanagement.com
Stylist: Lisa Cera / TheRexAgency.com
Hair Stylist: Robert Steinken / CloutierRemix / 
Makeup Artist: Uzo using NARS / Tracey Mattingly Agency
Manicure: Denise Bourne / TheRexAgency.com
Video: Darren Stone / darrenstonephotography.com
Post Production: Joey Pasaoa
Location: Special thanks to Mark B. Barron

Genlux issue release party hosted by Carmen Electra to benefit En Plein Air charity. Sponsored by Charles Schwab, Halcyon Dermatology, Vanquish ME, and Genlux. The event featured fashion shows by David Meister and Kimono Couture. We'd like to thank Hint Water, Monster Energy Drinks, Hansen's Natural, Tesla, and our other in-kind donors. 

Nicky Hilton, the stunning heiress, is bright (she recently authored a book on style), talented (she designs fashion and handbags), and generous (she devotes her efforts to many charities). As Stephen Christopher finds, it’s easy to see why James Rothschild decided to put a ring on it.

Nicky Hilton rings me from her Lower East Side NYC flat in a voice that’s surprisingly calm for a woman who’s tying the knot in less than two weeks. “I’m the opposite of the bridezilla,” she says. “I’m very relaxed. Everything’s all set.” 

Call it the clash of the trust-fund titans—Hilton, 31, is marrying James Rothschild (yes, one of those Rothschilds), at Kensington Palace in London. “I’m wearing a custom Valentino couture gown with custom Christian Louboutin shoes,” she says calmly, like it’s just another day—just another outfit. Her cream-color Loubys are embossed with the words ‘Mrs. Rothschild.’ [When older sister, BFF, and maid of honor, Paris, postedthem on Instagram, they received over 59,000 ‘likes.’]

Today Nicky’s wearing a Jenny King dress and Valentino espadrilles. She’s also splashed on some Quelques Fleurs—her scent of choice since she was 15. “My fashion moves to my mood. I like to mix it up every day, and I like to be comfortable. I’ll usually top every outfit off with a pair of ballet flats. I love Valentino or Chloe flats, and Balenciaga makes some cool gladiator ones. I love a pair of classic Tods, or Nike.”

Nicky, who admits to being very shy around people she doesn’t know, a bit impatient, and a total beauty addict, was thrilled when Davis Factor, the founder of Smashbox Cosmetics, asked her to develop an exclusive Nicky Hilton makeup kit. Actually, the collection was a no-brainer. “The cat eye is my every-day go-to makeup look,” Nicky says, “So we made The NY Classic Cat Eye Kit, The London Colorful Graphic Cat Eye Kit, and the L.A. Natural Cat Eye Kit. We created cute cosmetic cases for the kits to go in and now they’re sold exclusively on Smashbox.com.

A huge cat lover, she has two, with the collectively funny names of Mac and Cheese. “I’ve always been a cat person,” she claims, adding, “They’re so elegant and stealth and mysterious. Very independent.” “Like yourself?” I ask. “I would say so,” she replies.

Not one to shy away from work, she wrote a book, 365 Style, published last year by Harlequin, and now has another pet project, her handbag line simply named Nicky’s Capsule Collection with Linea Pelle. “When I was 17, my first foray into the fashion world was handbags. I always say it was my first true love. I love designing them and buying them—so this was really fun for me. I just wanted to keep the collection really timeless and classic so they can be in your closet for years to come.”

Google ‘Paris and Nicky’ and a zillion photos pop up of the duo carrying the latest ‘it’ bags, but for her, Nicky claims that’s changed. “When I was younger I was all about the ‘it’ bag, but no longer. They’re only ‘it’ for a short time and then you bump into everyone and their mother on the street carrying one. Now I like to pick up my handbags on my travels. Whether it’s from a flea market in San Tropez or a handcrafted one I’ve discovered while on vacation—they’re unique, and I know no one else back home will have one.”

Nicky took to her hotel roots and cleverly named the bags after her favorites, like the Bowery Crossbody, the Roosevelt Backpack, the Mercer Tote, the Chateau Satchel, and then there’s the Waldorf Canteen Crossbody—named after the storied NYC hotel that her great grandfather bought in 1949. Well, sort of. Conrad Hilton bought the Waldorf-Astoria’s management company and a 30-year lease to run it. It was Nicky’s grandfather, Barron, who polished off the deal in 1979 by buying the land the hotel sits on for the relatively paltry sum of $35 million. Last year, the Anbang Insurance Group of China paid (insert sound of cash register) $1.95 billion for the Waldorf—the most expensive hotel ever sold.

When it comes to charity, Nicky says all of the Hilton grandchildren are encouraged to be a part of the family’s Conrad N. Hilton Foundation. The foundation’s assets are currently around $2.5 billion. In 2010, Barron Hilton joined Bill and Melinda Gates, Warren Buffet and other billionaires in ‘the Giving Pledge’—all vowing to give a vast majority of their wealth to charity. Barron has pledged to give 97 percent of his wealth to the Hilton Foundation.

Nicky’s also a contributor to the Race to Erase MS, the charity founded by Nancy Davis. “I lost my grandmother to MS a few years ago, so it’s one that’s near and dear to my heart. And Nancy is a very close family friend.”

Asked what she’d like to change about herself, Nicky admits she’d like to be more trusting. “I’m very, very wary of people. I don’t easily trust. I think it’s from watching people take advantage and screw people over who are close to me. I’ve seen it so many times firsthand, so I’m very cautious and have my guard up.”

The solution to that might lie in a time machine which Nicky says she wouldn’t mind rewinding to the beginning. “Sometimes I wish I was a baby again. Life was so easy. Being pushed around in a stroller. Being dressed. Getting fed. No worries…no responsibility…no accountability…pure innocence.” Wouldn’t we all?

Photo Credits:

Nicky was photographed at the Bel-Air, California home of her parents Rick and Kathy Hilton.
Art Direction: Stephen Kamifuji
Photographer: Steven Chee / dlmla.com
Stylist: Lisa Cera / TheRexAgency.com
Makeup Artist: Cecilia Moreno / cecilia@genlux.com
Hair Stylist: Robert Steinken / CloutierRemix.com
Manicure: Denise Bourne / TheRexAgency.com

Ask Carmen Electra for five words to describe herself and you’ll get: fiery, passionate, compassionate, romantic and protective. She wanted to add ‘hopeless’ in front of romantic so let’s bonus her one word. The men she’s dated or married are as indelibly linked to Carmen as her career. There were the marriages to NBA star Dennis Rodman (annulled after nine days) and to Dave Navarro of Jane’s Addiction. Carmen, who started off life 43 years ago as Tara Leigh Patrick in the tiny town of Sharonville, Ohio (on Wikipedia, they claim two “famous” people, Carmen being one), has been a dancer, singer, model, actor, songwriter, author and philanthropist. Here, she chimes in on the Genlux Two-Word Questionnaire.

GPS location? I’m in my cozy house in Bel-Air. I’m in bed with the sliding doors open and I’m looking out to the pool and the incredibly beautiful view. 

Your style? When I started again with music, I picked up a little bit of dancer style. We’re in sneaker wedges, leggings, snapbacks—more sporty, sexy looks. I also got into a boho hippie style. I’m in love with that vibe. 

Decompression chamber? Tahiti was a pivotal place for me. Being near the ocean changed my life. Every day I would wake up and just look at the water and meditate. I have a really hard time sitting still, but the sound of the ocean made things clearer for me. 

Retail fix? I love hitting Barneys, Saks and Neiman’s and then Rodeo. I’ll run into Dolce, or La Perla. And then I’ll do Robertson, Intermix and boutiques and then Melrose. Alexander McQueen, Mark Jacobs, and Vivienne Westwood. 

Your kickstart? My best friends were going to ABT and Joffrey, and I knew I had to dance! I met some hip-hop dancers and found I was better at jazz and hip-hop than ballet. Then I met Shane Sparks in high school and we would go to teen clubs and go battle in Cincinnati. There was a girl from LA who told me, “You are such a good dancer, I can see you dancing for Janet Jackson.” I said, “Are you serious? You think I would have a chance?” 

Your heroes? My mom and dad. I have so much gratitude that I had parents who wanted me to have a better life than they had. Wow, they really dedicated their lives to me. My mom passed away. She was a third-degree black belt. A real badass. I couldn’t get away with anything with Mom. She had five other kids before me, so by the time she had me, she said, “You’re going to make a life for yourself.” 

Early lessons? When I was younger I was very shy and extra compassionate. I remember going to elementary school in a predominately white neighborhood. There was one African-American girl who nobody would play with, so I would, and I would stand up for her and myself. I grew up like that. We were taught to accept people for who they are. We don’t all want to be the same anyway. It would be a boring world. 

Your genealogy? I’m Cherokee Indian, Scottish and some Irish, my dad’s side is Irish and German. 

New lessons? Our Genlux shoot! I loved our shoot so much. I’m obsessed. I want to walk around in a kimono. It inspired me. From each experience I take something.

Your charities? I go to the Race to Erase MS gala every year. I think Barbara Davis is a wonderful person. When my mom passed away, I was really close to this woman who I call my LA mom. She started feeling ill and I called Barbara immediately and she got her into the best doctors. I’m dedicated to her charity. I also had my own charity, Head to Hollywood. I’ve been to The Life Ball in Vienna, where I performed one year and walked in Gaultier’s show. 

Worst trait? I’m my own worst critic. I’m a thinker and perfectionist. It comes from all the ballet training. People who don’t know me see me as a man-stomper. Almost like a superhero character. 

Life lesson? At some point, even for me, I had to stop using my past traumatic experiences as an excuse and choose: Am I going to take this experience and learn from it...or let it destroy my life? Am I going to let anybody have that power over me? Hell, no!

Love life? I just started dating someone. It’s fairly new, about three or four months, so I’m not really talking about it much. He’s extremely intelligent, and that turns me on. All I can say is, so far, so good.

Future kids? I love children. So if it happens I will be very happy, and if it doesn’t, I’ll be very content with that. My mom was pregnant at 15, and my sister was pregnant at 14. It was a constant thing in my mom’s head to make sure that didn’t happen to me. At a very early age, I would ask her if I was sexy. I want to be the best mom I could possibly be. I’ve never felt ready, but my doctor said that I’m Fertile Myrtle. 

Your regrets? To be honest I have no regrets, because out of my experiences I’ve learned something that I really didn’t understand I was learning while I was in it. I look for the gratitude in the hard situation and find ways to get through it. Life is like that—good and bad. It doesn’t do you any good to sit around and feel sorry for yourself. I understand that when you’re in it, it’s hard to see. 

Low point? Life doesn’t always stay on that highest level of happiness. You’re on top of the world, then you go down. That’s when you have to dig deep, and for me, I go straight to my books. I’m not the only one this happened to. How can I change this? Then, you go back up…you forget… everything’s going perfect…life couldn’t be better, and then boom, it hits you again. That’s life. 

First gig? ‘Soul Train.’ I was so excited. I got to do the Scrabble Board, and the Soul Train line…they put me on the risers. OMG, I’m on ‘Soul Train.’ I made it! 

Lucky break? I was on the dance floor at a club and a girl came up to me and asked me if I’d audition for her all-girl band that Prince was putting together. She took me to Capital Records, and I got signed to a demo deal. Prince got a hold of me and said, “I don’t think you should be in someone else’s band, you should have your own.” That’s where it all started. Working with Prince was such an incredible learning experience.

Spiritual tools? I have The Pocket Dalai Lama. I have so many great books. Pema Chodron’s Start Where You Are: A Guide to Compassionate Living. And The Language of Letting Go has been very helpful.

You’re learning? I let go of the past but I’m always a forward thinker, so I’m trying to learn how to stay in the now. A good book is The Power of Now. I have trouble staying in the now. I Am That, by Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj, that was a gift from Joan Jett. 

What’s next? I’m working with Mikey Minden. I recorded my first single, I like it Loud. I released three singles so far that have gone to the top 10 on the Billboard charts. Check out Werq, and the other song is called Around the World. 

Four blessings? A career that I love, my health, my family, and I also have gratitude for still getting excited to go to Disneyland. I have this Buddhism book that talks about being childlike, and I swore to myself I wasn’t going to lose that. I don’t ever want to lose that.

Art Director: Stephen Kamifuji
Photography: Geoff Ragatz / RagatzPhoto.com
Stylist: Lisa Cera / TheRexAgency.com
Model: Elle / Next Models
Model: Taylor Howard / Wilhelmina Models LA
Model: Brianna / Aston Models
Makeup Artist: Alexis Swain / CelestineAgency
Hair Stylist: Michael Kanyon / CelestineAgency / michael.kanyon@gmail.com
Manicure: Denise Bourne / TheRexAgency.com
Video: Darren Stone / darren@darrenstonephotography.com
Retouching: Cristina Leonte / cristinaleonte.com
Location: TheMountainMermaid.com

Art Direction: Stephen Kamifuji
Photographer: Tracey Morris / TraceyMorris.com
Model: Ksenia Shirokova / HMMLA.com
Stylist: Bruno Lima / GridAgency.com
Stylist: Melissa Imperial
Makeup: Anna Branson / TheRexAgency.com
Hair: Johnny Stuntz / CrosbyCarterMgmt.com
Digital Tech: Robert Morris
Assistant to Stylist: Mercedes Shields

Carolyn Manno is the brightest addition to NBC’s biggest stage—Football Night in America. While to its 40 million+ viewers she may not look like your typical NFL field reporter, as our STEPHEN CHRISTOPHER finds, this girl really knows her X’s and O’s. 

"This is my first time in LA, can you believe it? Everything’s cooler out here. You don’t understand…I live on New York’s Upper East Side. I’m an old soul. I’m too dorky to live downtown. I am such a loser. People say I look like I’m from Manhattan Beach…I don’t even know what that means.”
 

With all due respect, Carolyn is by mere appearances, not the person you’d expect to see covering live on-the-field interviews on NBC’s top-rated franchise, Football Night in America. One would, well…I, actually, would peg her covering the Miss America pageant before believing she could school me on the X’s (defense), and O’s (offense) of pro football. But there you’ll find her, mic in hand, firing questions at superstars like Ben Roethlisberger, the winning Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback. Carolyn’s a student of the game and keeps up on the coaches, players, rules, and even the history because, as she says, “At the end of the game, you never know who might emerge as the hero.”

To get there, Carolyn’s certainly paid her dues. She rose through the ranks, cutting her teeth in the tiny town of Mishawaka, Indiana, where she covered high-school basketball. “Talk about sports in its purest form. Go to a high school gym in the middle of Amish country. You walk in and the energy is real. It’s very pure at that level. All for love of the game, not a multimillion-dollar operation,” Carolyn says convincingly, until she finishes the thought, trailing into a resigned truth and a shoulder shrug. “As you climb the sports ladder, you see that erode bit by bit by bit, until you get to the top, and then…it’s just a business.”

After three years in Indiana, she landed a gig in Boston where super sports teams like the Boston Celtics and Tom Brady’s New England Patriots play. “For women, it’s easier to get a job in sports than it is to keep it—and to be taken seriously. People see that you’re blonde, younger, they assume you don’t know what you’re talking about. The poorest treatment I’ve received in my career has been from those in the industry who are threatened by women in sports. You not only have to prove you belong to your audience, but to your peers. It’s the jealousy thing. It’s the, ‘Why are you here?’ More often than not, it isn’t the case, but I’ve carried that chip on my shoulder.”

As you might imagine, for someone like Carolyn, being in those testosterone-filled stadiums could present other challenges. “Sure, I’ve been in uncomfortable situations. That’s valuable experience: learning how to deal. For example, one pro athlete happened to be married, and he crossed the line.

Not like a physical pass—more like an inappropriate text message. Once you slap their hands, it’s over. It’s a game for some of them and they’re not used to being told no. Part of what we do as reporters is exchange information. If you’re a guy and you’re in a locker room and you’re trying to work with a story, you could say, ‘Hey man, here’s my cell number.’ I want to try to do the same thing to establish that trust, but as a woman I’ve had to learn how to navigate certain situations that a man wouldn’t have to face.”

Not to be deterred, Carolyn is staying the course. “I’m passionate about sports for the psychological aspect of it. The life of these athletes is similar to a model, who at a young age is scooped up out of nowhere—might come from a bad situation, is thrown in the limelight and is jetsetting around the world. Even my own story of moving out of the Midwest and not knowing where I’m going next—I can relate to that a little bit. It’s a common thread.”

Then Carolyn shares about her inauspicious start in sports broadcasting. “I’m on the plane on the way to Chicago with these two huge bags which I then have to carry on a train. So I’m struggling to get through the turnstile and I finally get there and all I remember is calling my family, crying, telling them I’m in this rundown extended-stay motel with just a bottle of wine and a hot pocket and it’s Thanksgiving…and…I…can’t...do...this. It was difficult, but before I could process it, I was off and running.

And that’s how I’ve approached every single phase of the career. It’s wild, right?”

Art Direction: Stephen Kamifuji
Photographer: Joseph Chen / JosephChenStudio.com
Fashion editor / stylist: Freddie Leiba @ Bryan Bantry
Model: Merethe Hopland / Supreme
Male Model: Caspar / Fusion
Makeup: Sandy Linter / Bryan Bantry
Hair Stylist: Adam Markarian / Bryan Bantry
 

Shooting Hoopes
You may have seen her chowin’ down on a burger in those Carl’s Jr. ads, or gracing the pages of the Sports Illustrated swimwear issue. She’s sexy supermodel Samantha Hoopes, who majored in business at Penn State. We catch her stylishly taking over the company boardroom

Art Direction: Stephen Kamifuji
Photographer: Paul Schefz / Schefz.com
Stylist: Bruno Lima / Grid Agency
Model: Samantha Hoopes / Elite Models
Hair: Will Carrillo for Moroccanoil / CelestineAgency.com
Make up: Cecilia Moreno        
Manicurist: Denise Bourne / The Rex Agency
Photo Assistant: Shane Lopes
Production Assistant: Karoline Huber
Special location thanks to Regent Equity Partners; Lights thanks to Filex.com

Seasons change. And so, it seems, does Katia Winter. The star of Sleepy Hollow went to military school to study crime psychology, was a successful model who came ‘this close’ to joining the police academy, and now’s on the verge of producing her first feature film. She shares with our STEPHEN CHRISTOPHER  about her obsession with power tools, painting abstracts, and how when it comes to cheesy movies, she cries like a baby.

Katia Winter arrives at the Luxe Hotel Rodeo Drive’s restaurant wearing a kimono-style Helmut Lang top over a soft black t-shirt, some Black Denim jeans, and a pair of Vince sandals. Her layered blonde hair is parted in the middle and scrapes gently across her shoulders. She has a flawless porcelain complexion and her smile is perfect, though it wasn’t always so. “I used to have a big gap in my teeth. It was right here,” she says, placing her fingernail where the hole once was. “I was teased about it until I was 15 and would never smile.” 

The 31-year-old Swedish actress, who spent her younger years in London, orders an English muffin and some coffee, black, and describes herself using these five words: Crafty. Artsy. Traveler. Kind. Emotional. Of the latter, she admits to crying at the drop of a hat—especially when it comes to movies. In her very proper British accent, she sums it up: “I feel a lot of things. I’m really moved easily. I see a documentary and two minutes later I’m sobbing. The film that moved me the most is Dancer in the Dark starring Björk. It’s so gut-wrenching sad. I felt destroyed on the inside for two weeks. It was such a tragic and emotional film. Needless to say, I have to be careful with the films I choose to watch.”  

Katia’s artsy side is in the abstract paintings she creates, and her crafty aspect is fed through her obsession with hammers, nails and woodworking. She’s built a lot of her own furniture including some farmhouse benches for her kitchen and a reclaimed wood bed frame. “There’s something so therapeutic about working with my hands. I love power tools and have a set by Bosch—my favorite is a drill that transforms into an electric screwdriver. It’s so easy and satisfying to drive in screws,” she says, adding the proper onomatopoeia, “Szzzswip, szzzswip.” 

Katia speaks in a disarmingly gentle tone and smiles after each remark. Her kind and compassionate side keeps up with human-rights efforts around the world, and especially gender equality. She’s passionate about the work of Amnesty International, and her other charity projects include devoting time to her love for animals.

Katia’s original life plan didn’t include modeling or acting. She was a tomboy as a teen, and her heart was focused on being a crime investigator. So she went to a military school to study crime psychology. She was about to attend a police
academy when her good looks and thin 5-foot-9-inch frame steered her toward a modeling career. The money poured in and the career as a crime investigator went out the window. Soon acting came calling, and over the last few years, Katia has starred on Fox’s Sleepy Hollow, playing Katrina Crane, wife of Ichabod Crane. Currently, Katia’s producing her first feature film.

Our conversation moves to growing older and understanding that chasing material possessions will rarely make one happy. On that note, she picks up her phone to share some music she’s been listening to. A soothing melody and calming voice pours out. “It’s Snatam Kaur,” she says, holding it up to my ear. “I find myself listening to a lot of journey music. It’s a sort of music that takes you away from all of your thoughts and takes you to another space. I’ve never been able to meditate before. Now, finally, I can take a deep breath and appreciate the things I have, rather than focus on the things I don’t."

Photo Team:
Art Direction: Stephen Kamifuji
Photographer: Tracey Morris / TraceyMorris.com 
Stylist: Lisa Cera /  TheRexAgency.comMakeup: Alexis Ellen / TheRexAgency.com
Hair: Marina Migliaccio / TheRexAgency.com
Manicure: Denise Bourne / TheRexAgency.com
Digital Tech: Robert Morris
Assistant to the Stylist: Melissa Imperial
Photo Assistant: Isaiah Howard

Elizabeth Hurley is on holiday, floating in a pool in the Caribbean when the call comes in. “I heard the phone beep, so I swam over and my agent, Gueran, is on the other end, and says ecstatically, ‘Liz, there’s an amazing new show and I want you to have the part. And that’s all I’m going to tell you.”

Just this week, despite rumblings that reality television, like the once-great polar ice cap, is melting, E! anted up another $80 million on the Kardashians, betting they’re here to stay, well, at least through 2019. To hedge that bet, or perhaps to reduce their toxicity levels, they’re also debuting their first scripted drama, The Royals, airing Sundays at 10p.m. Playing the queen is, you guessed it, Elizabeth Hurley.

    Elizabeth sits down with me following our Genlux photo shoot at the Luxe Hotel Rodeo Drive to talk about the show, motherhood, and her 20 years of charity service. Of her role as the queen, she admits she doesn’t play very nice. “It’s a little ambiguous whether my character’s a good or bad person. I think ultimately she does bad things, but for the greater good.” She lowers her voice, adding, “I know a lot of evil people have said that in their time.”

    The Royals’ creator, Mark Schwahn, also created One Tree Hill, and Elizabeth’s a big fan. “I think he’ll be a friend for life. He’s a great guy—my age, married. No, there’s nothing romantic between us. I get on with him so well. If we should be so lucky to be a successful show and work together for years, it would be a joy to work with Mark. It’s not often you feel that way. The big fear is, what if, on one hand, it’s a nightmare and you’d be so lucky that it’d be a success—but on the other hand, oh my God, you’d be trapped!”

    The Royals comes at a perfect time. And perfect place. For eight years, Elizabeth had been the devoted mother, staying away from long-term television or film roles to raise her son, Damian, now 12, out in the country. She decided to return to work but wanted to stay close to home. Lucky for her, The Royals happened to film, where else, in London. “Do you know how few television shows are shot in London?” she asks.

    Damian is Elizabeth’s first passion and love, and the conversation always seems to draw back to him. “I’m an obsessed mommy. He’s the light of my life. I’m a little bit mommy-centric. He’s my first thought when I wake up in the morning. I did every school run and all his cooking—I really loved that.”

    Elizabeth quantifies her concerns for Damian’s future. “I have 800 billion fears for my kid. Many, many! I went to sleep dreaming of glue-sniffing when he was six months old—the dread of it. As mommies, we’re so worried about the small things. We’re nervous wrecks and we probably drive our kids demented with our worry.”

   Elizabeth’s own childhood had its challenges, like being picked on for being too thin. “I wish that that would happen now,” she jokes. “I was very, very skinny and underdeveloped. I was flat-chested and the last girl in my class to grow bosoms. I was the shortest girl in class, too, only 4-foot-9, until I was 15. All of my friends had blossomed and were gorgeous. I was called ‘Tin Ribs.’ I used to fold up Kleenex very carefully and put them in the back pockets of my jeans. Then I’d look in the mirror and ask, ‘Do I look curvy?’ Pathetic, I know.”

    Tin Ribs, indeed. In 1997, Elizabeth took on the sexy role for which she’s best known, playing secret agent Vanessa Kensington in Mike Myers’ Austin Powers movies. And this year, that once scrawny kid signed on to model for her 21st year with beauty giant Estee Lauder. “They’ve been a phenomenal company and have become some of my best friends in the world. They’ve been so supportive and loyal to me—through the thick of a lot of things. They understand that an awful lot of women who buy their products are my age and older.”

    As loyal as Estée Lauder is to Elizabeth, she’s been equally loyal to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, having raised funds and awareness for them for the last 20 years. “That’s my key charity. They’re a phenomenal A-rated organization. We’ve raised more than half a billion dollars. We employ fabulous scientists all over the world who are making breakthroughs all the time. I also help Elton with his AIDS foundation, and I’m a patron for a few kids’ charities in London. I donate the whole of October for all the fundraising activities I can.”

    This year, June 10, to be exact, Elizabeth turns, ahem, 50. The new 30, I assure her, and in her case it’s true. Still, she begins to fidget. “I know there’s a big birthday coming up. I know it’s something I have to address mentally. I haven’t yet. And people keep saying, ‘Are you having a party?’ Don’t rush me. I might have to go to an Ashram and stand on my head for a few weeks and find myself. I’ve never been a great one for milestones like that.”

    Growing older, but seeing life through her son’s perspective, is what brings Elizabeth her happiest moments. “We obviously become a little cynical and a little jaded. Especially in a business like mine, where at times we can be quite spoiled. Seeing everything through Damian’s eyes has made things really special again. I think I’ve become much nicer. Plus, I think I understand the male sex a bit better by having one sitting next to me all the time. Simpler than us,” she says with a long pause. “Simpler.” 

PHOTO TEAM:
Art Direction: Stephen Kamifuji
Photographer: Marc Baptiste / ArtMixCreates.com / NYC/LA
Stylist: Cat Wennekamp / JKArtists.com
Makeup by Francesca Tolot / Cloutier Remix
Hair by Enzo Angileri / Cloutier Remix
Manicure: Carla Kay using Chanel Le Vernis / Cloutier Remix
Digital Tech: Drew Schwartz / Pixel Dust
Rolls Royce and Vartan jewelry courtesy of Anna Shay
Location: Special thanks to Luxe Hotel Rodeo Drive

Genlux celebrated it's latest issue release hosted by cover model Dita Von Teese. The stellar affair under the stars took place on the rooftop of the Luxe Hotel Rodeo Drive. Dita (who never has a bad fashion or hair day) wore a stunning piece from her own lingerie collection and spectacular earrings by jewelry designer Margot McKinney. Margot McKinney, who had to jet off back to Australia before the party was over, was on hand as was Michael Wolfgeher from Sircuit Cosmeceuticals, Donna Antebi, Cheryl Woodcock, Anna Shay, Chaz Dean, Laura Dunn, Beau Dunn, Nikki Sixx and Courtney Bingham-Sixx, Allison McAtee, Dr. Mark Mandel, Sy Smith and many others. Guests enjoyed delicious tray-passed appetizers from the Luxe Hotel's catering department, and sipped on Svedka vodka, Hint Water, and Coca-Cola in those cute aluminum bottles. 

Meet jazz- and soul-style songstress Sy Smith. The talented singer first wowed us when she performed at our Chris Botti concert on Rodeo Drive. Every year, Sy and her generous friends donate an animal or two to Heifer International

The vivacious Sy Smith answers our Genlux Two-Word Questionnaire.

Your passion? Performing! I’ve always been a performer. Even when I was little, I would tell stories, jokes, play piano. Singing came much later, actually.
Your heroes? My mother and father. My mother has never let any adversity slow her down. Even confined to a wheelchair, she leads her community in preservation of local history, educating young folk, and bringing people of all backgrounds together! I love that woman. My father has always taught me the importance of excellence and to always strive to be at the top of my game. He also taught me how to laugh at life. Sometimes that lesson proves to be the most important.
Favorite quote? There’s an African proverb I love: “If you can walk, you can dance. If you can talk, you can sing.” There’s something very liberating about dancing like no one is looking, and singing like you’re in the shower!
Favorite getaway? Um...anywhere in Italy! Seriously. I love Italy and all things Italian. The Tuscany region and the island of Capri are my favorites so far. I shot a video there called The Art of You, and you can see the absolute joy as I’m twirling in the streets!
Your loves? My husband and best friend, Shawn Carter Peterson. And our puppy, Djinji. I can’t explain how much love this giant furball has brought to our lives! How does that happen? All I know is, if you wanna be my friend, you gotta be down with my doggy! Ha ha…
You’re reading? I’m re-reading Zora Neale Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God. Hurston’s writing is so powerful…so tactile and visual.
Happiest moment? Graduating from Howard University in Washington, DC. Oh, man, it was a bittersweet joy…because once you leave college, you’re in the real world—for real! With all the culture and traditions that go with experiencing an HBCU [historically Black college & university], it was the best decision I had ever made. And finishing with a degree—magna cum laude, I might add! That was the icing on a very delicious cake.
DNA change? Ah, man. I’m hypercritical…of myself, of everything around me. It’s a terrible characteristic.
Favorite song? Ooh, this is a tough one. I think “I Can’t Help It” by Michael Jackson on his Off the Wall album. This song is such a perfect example of how it feels to be so vulnerably in love, and MJ’s delivery is nothing short of perfect. Whenever I listen to it, I’m brought to tears because I know that feeling so well. And I revel in it.
Next life? I’d like to come back as a gazelle…experiencing the rush of running full-speed through some picturesque savannah with the sun beaming and the wind blowing! I know that at some point I might be taken down by a cheetah or something, but that’s just the cycle of life, right?
Favorite charity? I truly admire the work of Heifer International. They provide farm animals to families to help give them a leg up in sustaining their livelihoods and growing small businesses. Every year, my closest friends pull together to donate an animal or two to a family in need. Their website is heifer.org.
Favorite ice cream?
Coffee. And coffee.
Musical memory?
Going to see a musical called Your Arms Too Short to Box With God at the Warner Theatre in Washington, DC. My mom and I had front-row seats. Patti LaBelle was in the leading role, and at the end of the show, in true Patti form, she jumped off the stage and came up to me and sang! She got me out of my seat and just slayed me something fierce! I was about seven years old. I said to myself that night, “I wanna do that when I grow up!” Hopefully, I’m coming pretty close.

Photo Team:
Art Direction: Stephen Kamifuji
Photography by Tracey Morris / OliveHead.com
Stylist: Holly Copeland / TheRexAgency.com
Makeup: Jen Fiamengo / CelestineAgency.com
Hair: Miho Suzuki / Wilhelmina Artists using Bumble and bumble
Digital Tech: Robert Morris
Lighting Assistant: Darren Stone
Location: The Lodge Beverly Hills / LodgeBeverlyHills.com
Art Direction: Stephen Kamifuji

Art Direction: Stephen Kamifuji
Photographer: Tracey Morris / OliveHead.com
Stylist: Holly Copeland / Rex Agency
Model: Daria Pershina / LA Models
Makeup: Anna Branson / Rex Agency
Hair: Robert Steinken / CloutierRemix Agency
Digital Tech: Robert Morris
Photo Assistant: Isaiah Howard
Location: Delano Las Vegas / DelanoLasVegas.com

Japan’s kimono influence soars in fashion designer Sueko Oshimoto’s 
stunning 2015 collection 

Art Direction: Stephen Kamifuji                   
Photographer: Yoshi Ohara / yoshiohara.com
Model: Melanie Smith / Wilhelmina Models, Los Angeles
Designer and Stylist: Sueko Oshimoto / www.sueko.co
Assistant Stylist: Kentaro Terauchi
Hair: Miho Suzuki using Oribe / Artists at Wilhelmina
Make up: Sooyoo Kim using NARS cosmetics / sooyookim.com        
Samurai model: Takaaki Hirai         
First Assistant: Theodore Dickerson  
Second Assistant: Sam Pick
Retoucher: Grzegorz Kopertowski / en.kopertowski.net
Location: Concrete Loft 

SOME GIRLS JUST HAVE IT!
THAT CERTAIN SOMETHING!
rt Direction: Stephen Kamifuji
Photographer: Tracey Morris / TraceyMorris.com
Stylist: Wouri Vice /  The Montgomery Group, NYC
Model: Charlene Almarvez  / FORD models, NYC
Hair and Makeup: Paul Venoit / Artists at Wilhelmina
Lighting and Digital Tech: Robert Cadena 
 

Celebrity and fashion photographer Marc Baptiste chimes in on Genlux's My Favorite Things!

Art Direction: Stephen Kamifuji
Photographer: Tracey Morris / OliveHead.com
Stylist: Holly Copeland / Rex Agency
Model: Kristin Hoppe / Ford Models
Makeup: Anna Branson / Rex Agency
Hair: Robert Steinken / CloutierRemix Agency
Digital Tech: Robert Morris
Photo Assistant: Darren Stone

Art Direction: Stephen Kamifuji
Photographer: Tracey Morris / OliveHead.com
Stylist: Holly Copeland / Rex Agency
Model: Daria Pershina / LA Models
Makeup: Anna Branson / Rex Agency
Hair: Robert Steinken / CloutierRemix Agency
Digital Tech: Robert Morris
Photo Assistant: Isaiah Howard
Location: Delano Las Vegas / DelanoLasVegas.com

Angela Lindvall is the antithesis of a supermodel. As our STEPHEN CHRISTOPHER discovers, this simple Midwestern girl at heart is more comfortable tending her sustainable garden or helping environmental causes than shooting for the cover of this, or any magazine, and how it was her darkest hour that brought her to the light.

When I mention to Angela Lindvall that she really needs to meet Kelly Emberg, the other model-mother-turned-sustainable-gardening-guru, she gets really quiet. “Do you know what’s so funny?” she says softly, like she’s about to reveal a family secret, “I’m related to Kelly Emberg.” What? Really? How? “Yes, my grandfather on my mother’s side—she’s his cousin’s daughter. He used to brag about Kelly and show us photos of her when we were little, and then, lo and behold, I became a model.”

Well, please allow me to clarify. Angela didn’t just become a model. Like Kelly, she became a supermodel, and like Kelly, she graced the covers of every major fashion magazine like Vogue, W, ELLE, Harper’s Bazaar, and Marie Claire. Angela’s likeness sold millions, or who knows, maybe it was billions, by appearing in ad campaigns for Fendi, Chanel, Christian Dior, Tommy Hilfiger, Versace, Prada, Jimmy Choo, DKNY, Chloe, Hermès, Valentino and Louis Vuitton. Though Kelly and Angela have yet to exchange bok choy recipes, I’m sure they will.
    Angela was born in the Midwest—literally. Midwest City, Oklahoma in 1979, and started modeling at 14. To prove even supermodels aren’t immune to hurtful adolescent cruelty, Angela shares, “Oh yeah, I had the skinniest legs ever and never wore skirts or shorts. I got ‘chicken legs.’ ‘Knock-knees.’ I got ‘Beanpole’—shortened to ‘Bean.’ I’m still ‘Bean’ to my sister. I was always the skinniest, tallest girl and was so insecure about it. I used to kick my hip out and hunch my shoulders to try to make myself inches shorter. Thank goodness I became a model, because if not, I would have serious scoliosis like the Hunchback of Notre Dame.”
    Today, Angela proudly stands at 5’-11,” or call it 6’-3” in her Jimmy Choos. The philanthropist, who founded The Collage Foundation, an environmentally conscious cause that worked with the Rockland Farm Alliance to help smaller urban farmers get the same tax benefits as the large ones, rings me from her seven-acre, sacrosanct compound in Topanga Canyon that she shares with her boyfriend of two years, and sons, Dakota, 12, and Sebastian, 11. She paints the picture: “I’m standing amongst a field of Lavender bushes under clear blue skies. There are lots of birds, although I also just saved one out of my cat’s mouth. There’s an ancient oak tree, and the roses are in full bloom.”
    Angela also nurtures a vegetable garden and small fruit orchard where, she explains, gardening is a metaphor for life. “Right now it’s time to pull everything up, to harvest and replant, but before we can plant the seeds, we have to prepare our soil, or we’re not going to get a great return. It’s like that with everything in life. You’ve got to do the preparation…then plant the seeds, which are like the ideas. Then we give them water and sunlight, and through our love and labor we get the fruit.”
    Besides being immersed in nature, Angela practices Kundalini yoga (her teacher, Sukhdev Jackson, actually lives on Angela’s grounds), and she speaks in spiritual contexts of ‘life forces’ and ‘maternal energy.’ In many ways, she finds her longstanding modeling career greatly contrasts her real life. “The challenging part of being a model for me is that our industry celebrates beauty and creativity, but at the same time there’s this aspect where we’re sexualized and objectified, which has nothing to do with a woman’s true power—that power lies within her and in her grace.”
    And the whole idea of fame troubles her. “I never wanted to be on the cover of any magazine, because I really didn’t want to be famous. The idea of fame has always terrified me. I really value my privacy. I want the freedom of going to Whole Foods to do my own grocery shopping and not be bothered.”
    Even her first Vogue cover—the one photographed by Arthur Elgort—was more like an out-of-body experience than something she could get excited about. “It’s funny, but even to this day I have a hard time associating myself with the model Angela Lindvall. I’m so removed. I would see my work and it would seem so strange. I’d go to the grocery store with my mom, who would pick up a copy of Vogue in the checkout line and say unashamedly, ‘Oh, you’re in this issue?’ I’d tell her, ‘Mother! Please don’t do that again, it’s so embarrassing!’”
    Angela grew up one of five girls. In 2006, her 23-year-old sister, Audrey, a successful model herself, was tragically hit and killed by a fuel tanker while riding her bicycle in Lee’s Summit, Missouri. To make matters worse, Angela was in the midst of a divorce. “You know, I think it was after going through this most painful, deepest darkness, where my heart broke completely open that I discovered love and bliss. It’s not about finding love or getting love from another person. It’s about finding love within ourselves and having appreciation for the simplest things in life. Like lying in the hammock with my boys and looking up at the sky. I discovered that the happiest times of my life come from my being really present in the moment. I found that love is everywhere and accessible if we just open our hearts to it.”
    Two years ago Angela found some of that love—or rather, he found her. “Chris was assisting on a photo shoot and they sent him to pick me up for it. He showed up on my doorstep in a white pickup truck. It’s funny, but my son Dakota had just been lecturing me, saying, ‘Mom, you’ve got to get out there and start dating because no one is going to show up at the front doorstep.’ Two weeks later, and there he was.”

Photo Team:
Art Direction: Stephen Kamifuji
Photography by Tracey Morris / OliveHead.com
Stylist: Bruno Lima / Exclusive Artists Management
Makeup: Annie Ing / One Represents
Hair: Aaron Light / CelestineAgency.com
Manicure: Fairy Adabi / TheEyebrowBoutique.com
Digital Tech: Robert Morris
Lighting Assistant: Darren Stone
Stylist’s Assistants: Jenn Edelson, Kiki Herburger
Location: The Lodge Beverly Hills / LodgeBeverlyHills.com

Art Direction: Stephen Kamifuji
Photography by BrakhaX2.com
Stylist for Jesse Metcalfe: Tiffani Chynel / TiffaniChynel.co
Models: Bryden and Barbara / Wilhelmina Models
Grooming for Jesse: Emily Cheng / EmilyCheng.ca
Makeup: Camille Clark / AimArtist.com
Hair: Marina Magliaccio / TheRexAgency.com
Manicure: Carla Kay / CloutierRemix.com
Location: Special thanks to AesthesiaStudios.com
Women’s Fashion: Special thanks to Nikki Rich

        When the husband and I got married we decided to move to Manhattan Beach. Not only do we love being by the water, but it was close to his work. We found a cozy home that was perfect for us, but soon realized that it was a very old house…which meant that there was barely any closet space. This was a major problem with my line of work, and with the number of shoes and purses I had alone! For the first two years I sacrificed my closet and kept half the things at my office, since there wasn’t enough storage space. We had an empty room at the house, so I decided to turn it into my walk-in closet. Then I met Lisa Adams of LA Closet Design at a DVF event and my life changed.

    Lisa and I instantly hit it off. I looked into her work and was completely blown away by her portfolio. What I love most about her designs is that she not only makes the most intricate and beautiful closets, but they’re also extremely functional and practical. She has revolutionized the concept of what a closet should be, and has done so for a very impressive roster of celebrities, designers, and architects. I’m completely enthralled by how she was able to create my closet. 

     First of all, the room wasn’t getting enough light, so she added interior lights—not only on the ceiling, but also within the closet to light up my clothes and accessories. It makes a HUGE difference when getting dressed. I also love how she displayed my shoes and purses…sometimes I feel like I’m shopping in my own closet! And as for the custom-made island designed by my friend Aimee Song, Lisa lined it inside with pretty pink suede for me to organize all my accessories, bras, sunglasses, etc. I also told her of my love for gold, so all the hardware, including the hangers, are now gold! She decked it out with things that inspire me—like Kelly Wearstler and Jonathan Adler home goods, and my favorite: my framed Chanel and Dior art pieces. Also, she added beautiful wallpaper on the ceiling for a surprise touch. I love how unexpected it is!

  When I walk into my closet now, I feel so inspired and relaxed. I think it’s incredibly important to feel inspired when getting ready for the day, since it will reflect on your mood, your thoughts, and of course your outfit! 

For more info on LA Closet Design visit laclosetdesign.com

TOP BRASS
CHRIS BOTTI, the Grammy-winning trumpeter and best-selling jazz musician, shares with our STEPHEN CHRISTOPHER about the loves in his life, how fortunate it was to make Oprah cry, and the former president who’s one of his biggest fans.

Chris Botti, the Grammy-winning trumpeter and one of the best-selling jazz
musicians in the world, meets me for lunch at Cavatina at the Sunset Marquis hotel. He’s wearing his uniform, as he calls it—a Giorgio Armani T, 3x1 bespoke jeans, Prada shoes, Louis Vuitton sunglasses, and on his wrist, a Panerai watch. We grab a table on the patio, and Chris shares openly about his life and three keys to his success: practice, practice, practice.
     “I sold my place (a spacious home in the Hollywood Hills), car (a black convertible Bentley) and all my furniture,” Chris tells me about his recent relocation to New York. “I packed my clothes, and moved into the Mercer Hotel. To be honest, it’s a chance for me to hit the reset button.”
     Then he shares what precipitated the move: what else—a woman. “She’s Italian, like me, so she has her own brand of crazy—but I guess I love it. We broke up and I haven’t been seriously dating for the last year. I don’t know whether it’s going to rekindle or not.”   
    Mind you, it’s hard for Chris to be in a relationship. He tours 300 days a year and practices like a fiend the rest of the time. Oh, and then there are the chess games (something Sting introduced him to), yoga, and yes, more practice.
    It’s practice that’s been a Botti mantra since…well, forever. At age 12, he nearly handcuffed himself to the trumpet and worked on his chops every day for almost two straight years. In college, it was nine hours a day, and now he still practices two to four. “The trumpet is like relentless. There is no day off. If you don’t practice, it will literally kick you in the face,” Chris says convincingly.
    He glances at the menu and orders the bruschetta with crushed avocado—and tells of his scary beginnings. “I was born three months premature without a heartbeat. I weighed only a pound and a half and almost didn’t make it. Ironic,
since I make my living off my lungs, right? So growing up, I was always this scrawny kid, who, by the time I was in fifth grade, realized I was never going to be Michael Jordan or play second base for the Mets.”
    That deciding ‘aha’ moment, along with hearing the Miles Davis and Herbie Hancock rendition of ‘My Funny Valentine,’ hooked him—line and sinker. “I knew at that moment, playing the trumpet was what I wanted to be doing the rest of my life.”
    Fast-forward six years, and Chris is off to college, where, in the middle of his fourth year, he drops out to go play with Frank Sinatra’s band. “I was this naïve kid from Oregon who went to Indiana and now was at a Holiday Inn in a seedy part of LA. I was like Opie comes to Hollywood.”
    From there, after a decade-long gig with Paul Simon, Chris got his first of two tipping-point calls. “I was in England and Sting called to ask if I’d meet him at the
Dorchester Hotel. He said, ‘Listen, I think you have what it takes, and I want you to be in my band. Give up two years of your solo career, and in return I’m going to single-handedly break the sound of your horn to the world.’ So I did. And then, four years later, he fired me. But in the same breath he also gave me the greatest promotion. He told me, ‘I’m going to let you be my opening act.’”
    Transitioning from the majors with Sting—with the private chefs and private jets and making boatloads of cash—to the minors, hitting the road with his own band and shouldering all of its financial liabilities, was no cakewalk. “Our first headlining gig was in Oakland. We went on stage, and there were six of us in the band and four people in the audience. Right then, I knew that I needed to be the one to believe in this.”
    The tour was hemorrhaging his savings, and at 44, he was one gig away from being broke. Enter his second tipping point, ‘The Oprah Winfrey Show.’
      The single tear that Oprah shed on her show (now bottled and sitting on Chris’s imaginary mantle), during his rendition of ‘When I Fall in Love,’ was worth millions. It skyrocketed the album to the number-one selling position on Amazon for six straight weeks and propelled it more than 100 points up the Billboard Jazz chart. And those once-vacant seats? Standing room only, baby.
    Chris has a ton of somebody-pinch-me moments like that, and this one in 2005. “I got asked to play at the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony. We came down to the press conference and it was Tony Bennett, Oprah, Tom Cruise…and me! It felt really humbled. Another was when my friend Tony La Russa texted me that he was reading a book by Stuart Woods. In it, on page 9, a character said, ‘If I hurry now I can make the Chris Botti show.’ And then, a few pages later, ‘How was the Chris Botti show?’ ‘Fantastic!’ Maybe of all the things, in a weird kind of way, that was one of those moments for me.” Or what about that jaw-dropping Chris Botti PBS special? “When we did our live show in Boston, Yo-Yo Ma, Steven Tyler, John Mayer and Sting all came to town to be on my show. How the hell did that happen? More than anything I’m most proud of the respect I’ve received from other musicians. If you can get respect from people that you respect, that’s the whole game.”
    Chris doles major props for his success to his manager, Bobby Colomby. “Bobby’s so much more than my producer and manager. I’m on the phone with him many, many times a day. We’re on it, man.” And for Bobby, it’s mutual: “We were good friends before we began working together. If Chris were a computer programmer, architect or pro athlete, he would be special. He’s dedicated, focused, disciplined, and has a tenacity like no one else I know…and above all, he has an enormous heart.”
    When it comes to charity, his heart lets his trumpet do the talking. Over the years Chris has been performing at many many charity benefits, including the last five years for the New York Ear and Eye Infirmary.
    One charity performance for the Children’s Foundation sticks out in his mind for one famous fan in the audience. “I’m playing on stage with Sting, and everyone was in the audience—like Streisand, Donna Karan, and President
Clinton, who was sitting next to Sting’s wife, Trudy. “So Clinton asked her, ‘Trudy, that looks like Chris Botti, what’s he doing here?’ Trudy said, ‘Didn’t you know
that Sting and Chris are like brothers?’ So I play the song, and go backstage, and a Secret Service guy taps me on the shoulder and says, ‘The president would like to see you.’ So he leads me to Clinton, who then brings me on stage and
introduces me to the audience as his favorite musician. Chelsea walked up to me later to confirm that he listens to my stuff all the time.” And how good is Clinton, the sax player? Chris responds diplomatically, “Well, considering he was president, he’s fantastic!”
    Chris loves connecting with, and surprising his fans. “I was asked to play a wedding in Italy. So I call Sting, who happens to be staying at his villa there, and he invites me and my band over for lunch. I tell him why we’re in Italy and that he’s the bride’s favorite artist, and that I’m her second favorite. So he starts pushing his pasta around, looks up and says, ‘Well, why didn’t she ask me? Can I crash the gig?’ So we don’t tell the bride, and at the very end, I say, ‘We’re going to do ‘My Funny Valentine’ for the bride, and out walks Sting from the side.
It was pan-de-mon-ium.”
    On stage, where Chris wears Tom Ford almost exclusively, is where his heart is. “I’m really the happiest knowing there’s an audience out there, and it keeps me grateful. I can be playing in New York, Knoxville, or our Genlux concert
coming up on Rodeo Drive on the 14th—wherever—it doesn’t matter—it just makes me happy. I’m always thinking, God, I’m lucky!”

PHOTO TEAM:
Art Direction: Stephen Kamifuji
Photographer: Erik Almäs / erikalmas.com
Producer: Filiz Rezvan / ericalmas.com
Stylist: Lisa Cera / RexAgency.com
Production Assistant: Elodie Daspersruber
Digital Tech /1st Assistant: Mike Byrne 
Prop Stylist: Grant Bush
Grip / 2nd Assistant: Mark Nakagawa
3rd Assistant: Keith Hedgecock
Assistant: Louis Rosa 
Stylist Assistant: Jaclyn Gercensom
Hair & Makeup: Helen Robertson / CelestineAgency.com
Nail Tech: Denise Bourne / RexAgency.com
Interns: Naomi Harris & Amina Malik
Location: Big Daddy’s Antiques, Los Angeles

The stunning Spring/Summer 2015 couture show by designer Elie Saab.

Famous jeweler Robert Lee Morris answers Genlux's My Favorite Things!

Art Direction: Stephen Kamifuji
Photographer: Tracey Morris / OliveHead.com
Stylist: Amy Mach / AmyMach.com
Model: Emily Ruhl / Vision Models Los Angeles
Makeup: Derek Yuen using Bumble & bumble
Hair: Jeffrey Baum / Atelier Management

Art Direction: Stephen Kamifuji
Photographer: BrakhaX2 / BrakhaX2.com
Stylist: Charlie Altuna / Rouge Artists
Groomer: Helen Robertson / CelestineAgency.com       
Location: Special thanks to Luxe Hotel Rodeo Drive

Art Direction: Stephen Kamifuji
Photography: Geoff Ragatz / RagatzPhoto.com
Stylist: Bruno Lima / Exclusive Artists
Hair/Makeup: Blondie / Exclusive Artists using NARS
Model: Olivia Karina / PhotogenicsMedia.com
Digital Retouch: Andi Kuonath /redfishblack.com
Special thanks to Parcher’s Resort, Bishop, California

Dita Von Teese, the undisputed queen of neo-burlesque, is as renowned for having her clothes off as on. In 2013, Vanity Fair named her on their international best-dressed list, and last year, Jean Paul Gaultier flew her to Paris to walk in his fashion show for the third time. Our STEPHEN CHRISTOPHER caught up with Dita to find out about her life-long obsession with, and controversy that surrounds her lingerie.

“I’m a girl’s girl,” burlesque-queen-turned-lingerie-designer Dita Von Teese tells me over a grilled salmon (no skin, please) lunch at the Luxe Hotel Rodeo Drive. “I’m the girl you could leave your husband or boyfriend alone with, and if he hit on me, it wouldn’t take me longer than five minutes to say, ‘hey, your boyfriend just put some moves on me.’”

More proof that Dita’s a girl’s girl is the audience for her burlesque shows—almost all female. Her latest, “Strip, Strip, Hooray!” is an amalgam of neo-burlesque performers of different ages and shapes. “Women find it inspiring, because it’s a beauty and sensuality that’s attainable and created. It’s not about what you’re born with, it’s about what you make. Take the Victoria’s Secret supermodels—now that’s a kind of sensuality that you have to be born with. Those girls are like racehorses. We’re not all racehorses—some of us can be show ponies—and we can be great if we want to be.”
    Today, Dita’s wearing an Elie Saab dress that she says fits her code: below the knee, figure-flattering, curvy, simple, not too retro. As always, her makeup is flawless. She uses M·A·C, and why not, as an ex-Viva Glam ad campaign model, she holds a pretty cool perk—the “Z-Card,” a carte-blanche card that lets her have whatever she wants from any M·A·C counter.
    A tad into her 40s, the self-actualized Michigan-born beauty still stuns when performing her now-famous giant martini glass act, and, with clothes on, she’s noted as one of the most fashionable women in the world. In 2013, she made the prestigious Vanity Fair International Best-Dressed list. Last year, she walked in, and closed out, the Jean Paul Gaultier haute couture fashion show (her third time).
    Recently, Destination Maternity invited Dita to design a collection of black-lace bras for new mothers. Some critics…well, one in particular, stuck her neck out by saying the collection was not what young mothers desired—that the last thing a new mother wanted was attention to her engorged and overly sensitive breasts. The Von Teese cavalry rose en masse, posting responses that basically told the writer how wrong she was and where she could go.
    “It’s divided,” Dita explains. “Some people only see lingerie as for sex, but more and more women are embracing their sensuality, reading erotica, and going to burlesque shows. Black lace looks good on anybody. It’s elegant and erotic at the same time.”
    Long before Victoria’s Secret’s sexy lingerie ‘fashion’ shows were televised extravaganzas, Dita Von Teese was a young girl secretly obsessed with lingerie. At 6, she’d steal away with her mother’s, just to touch it. Her first job was working at a lingerie boutique in Orange County. As her obsession grew, controversy soon followed. “When I was 15, I remember so well, when I used to hand-wash my nice lingerie and hang them in my bathroom, my father would be super-offended. Now that I’m old enough to process it, my father probably associated lingerie with sex and seduction. And that’s what he was projecting onto me.”
    Dita takes out her iPhone and shows me what photo gets the most ‘likes’ on Instagram. Surprisingly, it’s not a shot from one of her famous burlesque shows, or one of her in sexy black lace—it’s a rather sedate photo of her, covered from head to toe, in front of a log cabin at Christmas. “There’s not a lot of pictures of me, because I don’t often do selfies. I hate to even say the word.” Now that she’s officially disconnected her Facebook account, claiming too much unnecessary drama, she’s focused on Twitter (1.7 million followers) and a new app called WhoSay that feeds all her social media channels.
    Just this morning, she attended financial meetings with attorneys and accountants. “Super boring,” she says, groaning, “I’m getting my situation in order—trying to be more present and knowledgeable in my endeavors. I get very Joan Crawford. I get dressed up and made up for them, and I go into the meeting wanting to understand everything. There’s less chance of being screwed over when you’re present. It’s easy in this business to get taken advantage of. Since I don’t have a husband or dad to watch out for me, I have to look out for myself.”
      With that, Dita confidently takes out her compact and refreshes her lip gloss, as she’s about to leave, and sums up the welcome timing of her new lingerie and glove collection: “I can’t be bathing in a giant martini glass forever…can I? It all has to evolve, as it’s meant to.”

Photographic Team:
Art Direction: Stephen Kamifuji
Photographer: Tracey Morris / OliveHead.com
Stylist: Angel Terrazas / Wilhelmina Artists
Makeup: Camille Clark / AimArtist.com
Hair: John Blaine / CrosbyCarterMgmt.com
Digital Tech: Robert Morris
Stylist’s Assistant: Melissa Imperial
Photo Assistant: Isaiah Howard
Location: Special thanks to George Judah at Sculpture Design Imports
416 South Robertson Blvd, LA, 310-858-8266, sculpturedesign.com

Art Direction: Stephen Kamifuji
Photography: Geoff Ragatz / RagatzPhoto.com
Stylist: Bruno Lima / Exclusive Artists
Hair and Makeup: Blondie / Exclusive Artists using NARS
Model: Erica Huber / NextManagement.com
Digital Retouch: Andi Kuonath /redfishblack.com
Special thanks to Parcher’s Resort, Bishop, California

Art Direction: Stephen Kamifuji
Photographer: Andrew Matusik
Stylist: Wouri Vice / the Montgomery Group
Models: Aliett Buttleman / Wilhelmina Direct, New York
Quinn Cooper / Wilhelmina Direct, New York
Lina Sandberg / Marilyn, New York
Hair: Gina Guercia / Top 5 Management
Contributing Market Editor: Kimiko / Square One Productions
Producer: Sami Rahman / Hello Once
Location: The Out Hotel, New York / theoutnyc.com

With a string of eight number-one hits, Bonnie McKee is one of pop music’s
most sought-after songwriters. She shares openly with our STEPHEN CHRISTOPHER about her ups, her downs, and how a chance meeting with Katy Perry at an LA thrift shop may have been the key to her success.

Bonnie McKee opens the front door of her late-60s-style Hollywood Hills home wearing what any pop star would for a magazine interview—a vintage head scarf, a Unif wrap over a Mikoh bikini, and a pair of tall Charlotte Olympia platforms.
Understandable, since it’s about 97 degrees. She’s also sporting a cool pair of oversized Prada sunglasses and her nails are painted to resemble watermelons. “Come on in,” she says smiling.
    The singer/songwriter walks me through her home and into a backyard that looks straight out of Lake Tahoe—the towering pines, the view of the lake below...well, the Hollywood Reservoir, actually, but from here it looks just like a mountain lake, and there’s a nice swimming pool—hence, the bikini. “This is my dream home,” she tells me as she peels off her wrap. “Found it on Westside Rentals. It gets sun all day long.”
    Like her music, Bonnie is shiny and bright, optimistic and fun-loving. If you’ve seen her video for ‘American Girl,’ you know what I mean. But things weren’t always this way. Over the next hour, Bonnie would share openly about her struggles and how life has been both kind and cruel.
    “When I was a teenager I was a major drug addict. I’ve been struggling with it my whole life. I was kicked out of my private high school in the 9th grade.” Even through a tumultuous home life—a cocktail of drug use and parents on the verge of divorce—Bonnie’s talent somehow withstood, and at 16 she landed a contract with Warner Brothers Records. “I was driving my parents crazy. As soon as I had this opportunity to get out of the house in Seattle, I did.”
    The contract gave Bonnie the funds to venture out to LA, but deep inside, she felt sad that her parents didn’t put up a fight. “I had this feeling everyone was like, goodbye, good luck, and I felt abandoned in a way. I imagined that when you get your first apartment, your mom comes out and helps you pick out curtains and dishes and helps settle you in,” she says with sadness in her voice. “But I had to do it all myself. That had a pretty profound effect on me.”
    More sadness would follow when her first album and tour failed to spawn any success. “It was such a painful time for me. The whole experience was such a dark and sad time. The album was about my adolescence, about drugs and family—it was my teenage diary.”
    Warner Brothers dropped her, and Bonnie was completely broke. “I didn’t have hot water. My cell phone got turned off.” Then, with her musical life hanging by a thread, her ex-boyfriend took her to meet Josh Abraham and Scott Cutler, owners of Pulse, who signed her to a small publishing deal. As music publishers, they connect the songwriters with the producers and artists who churn out the hits. “They threw me a bone and a small advance. They definitely plucked me from obscurity.”
    Then, a chance meeting that had happened years before would come roaring back. “I’d met Katy Perry at a thrift store on Melrose called Wasteland. We were both broke teenagers trying to sell our clothes, but they were so picky—so we were both being rejected in front of this whole line of people. Well, my album had just come out and she was like, ‘Hey, you’re Bonnie McKee, and I’m a songwriter too, and we should hang out.’ It’s amazing that this girl I met at a thrift store would be forever intertwined with me as my destiny, and would ultimately define my career.”
    As luck would have it, Katy Perry would sign her own record deal and later introduce Bonnie to Dr. Luke, the biggest producer in the pop world today. When he was working with Katy on her second album, he asked Bonnie to come in to write songs on a co-publishing deal. The alchemy resulted in ‘California Gurls,’ ‘Teenage Dream,’ ‘Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.),’ ‘Part of Me,’ Wide Awake,’ and ‘Roar’—all number-one smash hits. Then Bonnie wrote ‘Dynamite’ with Taio Cruz that also went to number one. “The strongest feeling I had was one of relief. I was like ‘Whheeeew!’ I was struggling for so long, and now, I thought, I’ve cemented my place in pop history. There were so many ‘almosts’ in my life, I felt I could die knowing I’d accomplished something that I could be proud of.”
    So far, Bonnie’s eight number-one singles have combined to sell more than 30 million copies worldwide, and her career as a songwriter has reached the stratosphere. She’s written for Britney Spears, Miranda Cosgrove, Christina Aguilera, Lea Michele, Ke$ha, Avril Lavigne, Kelly Clarkson, Carly Rae Jepsen, Leona Lewis, and Adam Lambert. And now, she’s writing for No Doubt, the band led by her style and musical idol, Gwen Stefani.
    Back to this dream home that she once rented. Well, with number-one hits comes cash, lots of it, so she bought it…along with a few mega-horsepower cars too. “Yeah, I like to go fast.”
    Bonnie also gives back in a big way. She supports Music Cares, the charity that helps musicians with medical expenses, and OMG Camera, a summer camp for inner-city kids that encourages them to get into the creative film process. Last summer, she opened for Katy Perry for a breast cancer benefit at the Hollywood Bowl. “One of the most exciting moments. I remember stepping out on that stage and feeling like it was such an honor to play there.”
    Many of the songs Bonnie’s co-written have been nominated for Grammys, and this year, she received a Song of the Year nomination for ‘Roar.’ “I was in the second row right behind Katy. I wore a long navy blue mermaid dress.”
    I ask about her first experience hearing one of her songs on the radio. “I was in my car, and had just pulled up to the studio, and I started screaming, “Oh my God! Oh my God! The song…my song, it’s on the radio! I wrote that!”
    Now two and a half years sober, Bonnie counts her blessings. “It’s really changed my perspective on life and given me a lot of clarity. I’m so grateful for my sobriety. I’m also incredibly grateful for my team at Pulse who took a chance on me. They’ve been like a family. I’m also grateful for my friends who have been with me through thick and thin, like my friend Risa.”
    Bonnie’s also grateful to have felt the pain she’s endured, though she’s moving toward the light now. “I believe in a higher power. If you give to the Universe it will give back to you. It’s all about karma and the Law of Attraction. It’s all about energy.” Energy. Something Bonnie McKee’s got no shortage of.

Photo Team:
Art Direction: Stephen Kamifuji
Photography: Markus&Koala
Styling: Amy Astar
Makeup: Anthony Nguyen / DLMLA using MAKEUP FOR EVER
Hair: Aaron Light / Celestine Agency
Manicure: Kimmee / Celestine Agency

Art Direction: Stephen Kamifuji
Photography by Andrew Matusik / AndrewMatusik.com
Stylist: Angela Kelley / Halley Resources
Model: Mirjam Roth / ReDirect Models New York 
Makeup: Dale Johnson for / Artist Management, New York
Makeup: Eloise Cheung / Walter Schupfer Management / wschupfer.com
Location: Studio 333, New York / 333parkave.com

Art Direction: Stephen Kamifuji
Photography: Markus&Koala
Stylist: Amy Astar
Makeup: Erin Ayanian / CloutierRemix
Hair: David Keough / CelestineAgency.com
Manicure: Kait Mosh / CloutierRemix
Stylist Assistant: Guido Morales
Production Assistant: Emily Hassard
Location: Special thanks to the Avalon Hotel, Beverly HIlls

Taryn Manning is demented and engagingly funny in her role as ‘Pennsatucky’ in the hit television dramedy Orange is the New Black. Here, our STEPHEN CHRISTOPHER catches up with everyone’s favorite snaggle-toothed meth-head-turned-Bible-thumping inmate.

Taryn Manning rings me from her apartment that sits in a very quiet Manhattan neighborhood. She’s standing—all 5-foot-2-point-5 of her—on her front stoop in the nearly 80-degree New York heat because “the reception inside sucks, but  
fortunately, it’s not too muggy out.” She’s wearing jeans and a Supra hoodie, and Penguin, her loyal Cavalier King Charles Spaniel–Maltese mix, is sitting beside her. “She’s the apple of my eye and goes everywhere with me,” Taryn says in her low, gravelly voice. “Such a good little traveler and so well behaved.”
    A huge animal activist, Taryn is a softie when it comes to contributing to animal charities. One in particular is Best Friends. “I really respect that organization because the money actually goes toward the animals. I’m always donating to charities where they take care of animals that have been displaced by natural disasters. Right now, my best friend, Tara Jane, and I are also in the process of starting our own animal charity organization.”
    Ever since the critically acclaimed Netflix dramedy ‘Orange is the New Black’ became everyone’s favorite new show, Taryn’s Q rating has soared off the charts. Her character, Tiffany “Pennsatucky” Doggett, is the snaggle-toothed, meth-head-turned-Bible-thumping inmate who draws on Jesus to somehow miraculously, and even to her own surprise, heal some of the other prisoners. Her performance is dementedly engaging and funny.
    Taryn’s the first to admit the correlation between the spike in demand for her music gigs and her newfound TV fame. “I just got back from a performance in Scottsdale. It’s been nonstop. —I’m really exhausted.”
    Taryn Manning was born 35 years ago in Tucson, Arizona, and her parents divorced when she was only two months old. She respects her mom for never keeping the kids from their dad. “Every summer and every Christmas my brother and I would go visit my dad, who was never in the same state. I remember always having to meet new people.” Tragically, when Taryn was only 14, her father committed suicide. “School had always been a good experience for me. I was a happy child who even got named Class Clown two years in a row, but when my dad died, I went from being happy to putting my head down on my desk and just wanting to sleep. When he passed, I focused on my passion—my love for ballet, jazz and tap—it kept me out of trouble. My mom was so supportive. She’d scrounge up all the money she could to put into honing my talent. That’s why I’m so grateful for her. She sacrificed everything for me.”
    In 2003, ten years before Miley Cyrus even thought about climbing aboard a wrecking ball, Taryn rode on one at an auto-wrecking yard in her video debut for her band’s song ‘The Wreckoning.’ Mere coincidence? Taryn’s song hit #1 on the Hot Dance Music/Club play chart, and Billboard magazine recognized her band, Boomkat, as the #5 Hot Dance Club Play Artist for the year. The band, formed with Taryn’s brother, Kellin, was signed to Dream Works Records. Music from that debut album, Boomkatalog, also appeared in movies including Mean Girls, Crossroads, The Hot Chick, 8 Mile, and The Italian Job. In June 2008, Boomkat’s second album, A Million Trillion Stars, was released.
         Taryn made her film debut in the romantic drama Crazy/Beautiful. She followed that up with a role as one of Britney Spears’ two best friends in the 2002 film Crossroads. She appeared in 8 Mile as B-Rabbit’s ex-girlfriend, Janeane, and in Peter Kosminsky’s White Oleander. She had supporting roles in the films Lucky 13 and Debating Robert Lee, and appeared briefly in Anthony Minghella’s Civil War melodrama Cold Mountain and in the romantic comedy A Lot Like Love.
     It was at the premiere of Crossroads that Taryn recalls her most embarrassing moment. “We were at the premiere of the movie in Britney’s home town in Louisiana. I hadn’t done many red carpets, and I arrived before Britney. So I’m walking on the carpet in my beautiful dress when all of a sudden the fans start going berserk. Well, one of the overzealous security guards decides he’s got to get to Britney and aggressively throws me to the ground, and I start crying hysterically. My manager told me they let that guy go on the spot. At the time I was mortified, though it’s kind of hilarious now.”
    Taryn humbly assesses her dancing, acting and musical abilities: “I’m really grateful for being given the talent and the drive to achieve my dream of doing what I love—and being able to make money doing it. I’m beside myself that it’s all come true.”

Photo Team:
Art Direction: Stephen Kamifuji
Photography: Markus&Koala
Stylist: Amy Astar
Makeup: Erin Ayanian / CloutierRemix.com
Hair: David Keough / CelestineAgency.com
Manicure: Kait Mosh / CloutierRemix.com
Stylist Assistant: Guido Morales
Production Assistant: Emily Hassard
Location: Special thanks to the Avalon Hotel, Beverly Hills

Art Direction: Stephen Kamifuji
Photography: TraceyMorris.com
Stylist: Lisa Cera / LisaStyles.com    
Makeup: Anna Bramson / TheRexAgency.com
Hair: Marina Magliaccio /  TheRexAgency.com
Models: Nastya / Hollywood Model Management
Ali  Marie / Wilhelmina Models
Digital Tech: Robert Morris
Lighting Assistant: Megan Batson
Location: Special thanks to ARIA Resort & Casino 
and to The Shops at Crystals, Las Vegas

Art Direction: Stephen Kamifuji
Photography: Marc Baptiste / marcbaptiste.com

Stylist: Holly Copeland / hollycopeland.com
Makeup Artist: Ashleigh Louer / themagnetagency.com 
Hair Stylist: Lea Journo / CrosbyCarterMgmt.com using
Mirroir Glossing Cream and Lumiere Illuminating Moisturizer
Location: Special thanks to Luxe Hotel Rodeo Drive

Katie Cassidy is happier now than she’s ever been. With a hit television show, Arrow, a successful blog, tomboykc.com, and a life devoted to giving back through her favorite charity, HELP Malawi, who can argue? STEPHEN CHRISTOPHER chats with the actress from her getaway in St. Barts and finds out how life’s been growing up Cassidy. 

“The first time I found out I was the daughter of someone famous came on a school playground in the third grade,” Katie Cassidy tells me from her hotel room in St. Barts. “I was showing one of my best friends a picture of me and my dad during recess. Her mom, who was the yard-aid, happened to come over just as we were looking at the picture. She was like, ‘Oh my God! This is your dad?’
    I said yes, and she said, ‘Hold on a second, let me borrow this picture.’ So she takes the picture and runs over to the other yard-aids and teachers. Meanwhile, my friend and I don’t have a clue as to what’s going on. So then she comes back and says, ‘Do you know who your dad is? I have pictures of him all over my wall!’ It was so weird—and it’s still bizarre to me. It’s always a strange, surreal thing, but it’s my reality.”
    Hard to believe, but to date, Katie’s yet to catch a full episode of The Partridge Family, the 70s hit television show that propelled her dad, David Cassidy, to worldwide superstardom. It’s David who offered Katie these words of wisdom: ‘Never stop evolving and learning. Continue to go to class and get coaching because you’ll only get better.’ “It’s the best advice I’ve ever gotten because there’s always more to learn, and as an actor you want to be able to change. That’s when you force yourself out of the box—out of the comfort zone—and allow for growth.”
    Currently, the 27-year-old California beauty stars on the CW’s hit show Arrow, where she plays assistant district attorney Laurel Lance. The show is based on superhero characters from comic books and graphic novels published by DC Comics. Since 2009, she’s starred on three other CW series: Supernatural, Melrose Place and Gossip Girl, and one show on CBS, Harper’s Island.
    Along with acting, Katie says her other passion is fashion. She and best friend Lynsey Eaton started tomboyKC.com. “It’s a fashion blog for the modern-day woman—a fusion between masculine and feminine things. It’s about expressing oneself through the creative outlet of fashion. Oh, and our blog is shoppable.”
     When it comes to fashion, Katie, who counts Alexander Wang, Tom Ford, and Helmut Lang as her favorite designers, likes to mix it up. I’ll take a skirt and a baggy tee, and pair them with some pumps or wedges—like those really amazing ones from Phillip Lim.” Or she’ll pair boyfriend jeans with a button-down, or, right now, she’s favoring a pastel pink, structured Alexander Wang corseted piece and his white heel sandals. “That and a clutch…and you’re good to go!”
    Her most embarrassing fashion moment was (what else?) a boob wardrobe malfunction. “I must have been 19 and I borrowed my friend’s dress to go to a red-carpet event. She was fuller in the breast area, so she gave me some cutlets to wear. Well, the next day you could see in the pictures that the cutlet is actually coming out. I was so embarrassed.”
    The optimistic blonde turns serious to share about H.E.L.P (Hope, Educate, Love, Protect) Malawi, the nonprofit that gives school children, most of whom who are HIV positive, the tools and education they need to live a better life. “I’ve been a part of this charity for the past seven years. The lack of water over there is sad; it’s a tragedy. I helped raise money to build a medical center, library and church and spent some time with them to plant a garden. Now they have this garden to eat from. I also designed a few pieces of jewelry on my trip over there that can be purchased on the website helpchildren.org, with 100% of the proceeds going to this foundation.”
    So there she is—riding high on a successful acting career and fashion blog, sitting on a beach in St. Barts…how bad could life be? “I literally keep hashtagging, ‘timeofmylife.’ I’m having so much fun. Surrounding myself with so many great people who give off positive energy. I think right now is the happiest time in my life. I’m doing things I never dreamt of doing. I’m having a blast!”

Photo Team:
Cover photo by Tracey Morris / TraceyMorris.com
Styled by Holly Copeland / HollyCopeland.com
Makeup by Uzo Ukaeje / NARS international lead makeup artist
Hair Stylist: Lea Journo / CrosbyCarterMgmt.com using
Mirroir Glossing Cream and Lumiere Illuminating Moisturizer
Location: Special thanks to Luxe Hotel Rodeo Drive

Genlux heads to Santa Anita Park—considered by many to be the world’s most beautiful thoroughbred racetrack—to capture the season’s race-worthy looks
Art Direction: Stephen Kamifuji
Photography: Yoshi Ohara / YoshiOhara.com
Stylist: Amy Mach / AmyMach.com
Model: Angela Jonsson / Vision Models  
Makeup Artist: Su Han / Dew Beauty for Clarif
Hair: Robert Steinken / Cloutier Remix using Alterna Haircare
Photo Assistants: Theodore Dickerson, Tomohisa Imagawa, Tubasa Maruno
Post Production: Marcus Christopher / deltagram.eu
Location: Special thanks to Pete Siberell / Santa Anita Park

L

Art Direction: Stephen Kamifuji
Photography: Verity Jane Smith / verityjane.com
Stylist: Monica Cargile / monicacargile.com   
Makeup and Hair: Kirsten Simitzi using MAC Cosmetics
Model: Artong Arjok / Wilhelmina Models
Assistant: Jenna Schreck

Art Director: Stephen Kamifuji
Photographer: Tracey Morris / TraceyMorris.com
Fashion Stylist: Amy Mach / AmyMach.com
Makeup Artist: Camille Clark / AimArtist.com
Hair Stylist: Robert Steinken / CloutierRemix.com
Manicure: Destinee Handly / DestineeHandly.com
Digital Tech: Robert Morris
Photo Assistant: Christian Shenouda
Location: Aesthesia Studios / AesthesiaStudios.com  

Genlux sends photographer Jeff Berlin and stylist Holly Copeland deep into one of Hollywood’s most historical sound stages—the Mack Sennett Studios—to capture spring’s latest fashion looks.

Art Director: Stephen Kamifuji
Photographer: Jeff Berlin / BerlinCreative.com for Sony Digital Imaging
Model: Wylie Hays / NextManagement.com
Fashion Stylist: Holly Copeland / TheRexAgency.com
Makeup Artist: Camille Clark / AimArtist.com
Hair Stylist: Paul Desmarres / OpusBeauty.com using Number 4 Hair Care
Photo Assistants: Jim McGee, Peteyk Styles, Connor Cummins
Location: Special thanks to MackSennettStudios.net 

TRIBAL CHIC
Genlux beckons your wild side in this season’s tribal-inspired fashion—dripping with graphics, patterns and color

Art Director: Stephen Kamifuji
Photographer: Geoff Ragatz / RagatzPhoto.com
Fashion Stylist: Amy Mach / AmyMach.com
Model: Masha / PhotogenicsMedia.com
Makeup Artist: Camille Clark / AimArtist.com
Hair Stylist: Paul Desmarres / OpusBeauty.com using Number 4 Hair Care
Stylist Assistants: Aiden Styles, Amelia Shales
Photo Assistant: Matt Collins 
Production Assistant: Emily Hassard  

Exclusive interview with Francois Nars by Stephen Kamifuji

François Nars looks to be in his early thirties, so it’s hard to believe that he was the makeup artist for the April 1984 issue of Vogue with Richard Avedon. His brilliant makeup career would lead to his eponymous global brand, NARS, in 1994, and later, to his success as a photographer. Somewhere in there NARS sold to Shiseido, and François bought Motu Tané, his own private French Polynesian island. We caught up with him on the eve of the release of his new book, Faery Lands: Tahiti. Here, looking dapper in a Saint Laurent suit and tie, and J.M. Weston shoes, he answers our Genlux two-word questionnaire. —Stephen Kamifuji

YOUR PASSION? My two passions are architecture and fashion photography. I’ve loved photography from when I was a kid, but I ended up being more focused on makeup. The important thing for me was doing great makeup for photo shoots with Richard Avedon and Steven Meisel and Irving Penn. Maybe subconsciously I was thinking, ‘one day I’ll take photos,’ but it was never an obsession. 

WHY PHOTOGRAPHY? In those first years, when I started creating the NARS line, we needed to take photographs for our campaign, but there was no money. We were very poor. So I said, ‘You know what? I’m going to take a camera and start shooting.’ I’d learned a lot by being in the best school: working with the best photographers in the world. I’d learned how to have dialogue with the models, and how to light. And I had a sense of fashion and a good connection with the models, because when you do makeup you make them look beautiful—that’s the goal. It came pretty naturally. I jumped into it.

Favorite photographers? There’s such an incredible range of photographers that I like. May Ray, Brassaï, Guy Bourdin. And the ones I’ve worked with like Avedon, Penn, and Helmut Newton.

WHAT CAMERA? I use a Deardorff 8x10 because that’s the camera that Richard Avedon used. I was fascinated by it. I loved the fact that you’re standing next to the camera to direct the subject. There’s such an incredible sense of drama and strength to shoot like that. I shot my first book, XRAY, with it. My new book, Faery Lands: Tahiti, I also shot with the 8x10, but now I shoot mostly digital.

PRECIOUS MOMENT? Seeing my first Vogue cover. Oh my God, it was a dream! It was the biggest goal for me. It was 1985 and Richard Avedon shot Renée Simonsen for it. It took me only three months to get to Avedon’s studio. Not bad, right? It was Vogue editor Polly Mellen who brought me to meet Avedon.

PLAN B? I would have loved to get into architecture or home décor. 

MEMORABLE ACHIEVEMENT? The first time I worked with Irving Penn. There were very few people who could work with him. It was so extremely restricted. It wasn’t that you wanted to work with Penn, it was more if you could work with him. It was a very small studio on Fifth Avenue. 

MOST BEAUTIFUL? The face that inspired me the most was Linda Evangelista—because she was so perfectly beautiful. Her attitude was so good; she loved being made up and photographed. She almost
had a sexual relationship with the camera. It almost became overwhelming. It was fun working with her because she brought my makeup to life.

FAVORITE MODEL?  I love this young girl, Toni Garrn. She reminds me a lot of the 70s supermodels—the Swedish or Danish girls. I also love Daria Strokous. Those are my two favorites.

CHANGING AESTHETIC? I never change. I’ve always been strongly attracted to the same face. Probably since I was eight years old, when I woke up to certain worlds like photography and fashion and aesthetics. Around that time I was attracted to the same type of women in the magazines—women of the 70s like Dayle Haddon and all the girls that Helmut Newton photographed. It’s the same for me today. I like strong character and beautiful faces, but a little bit odd. All the faces that Serge Lutens used for Guy Bourdin were also very dramatic—those were my two masters in makeup and photography.

SUCCESS SECRET? I was quite lucky. I worked hard my whole life, but I was discovered pretty quickly. I really only struggled two or three months. I met Olivier Echaudemaison [now the creative director of Guerlain], and immediately started doing fashion shows with him. He introduced me to all of the editors. It went so fast. I just wanted to do what I loved, and that was makeup and being in the fashion world.

NEXT SUBJECT? The ultimate actress that I’ve wanted to photograph is Cate Blanchett. Fortunately, she just said yes! I also just photographed Tilda Swinton.

WHAT’S NEXT? A new book of celebrity portraits. See? I don’t stop.

Giancarlo Giammetti has led a beautiful life. To prove it, the one-time lover and long-time business partner of Valentino Garavani, who jet-setted and yachted with rock and movie stars, royalty and the world’s top socialites, amassed an archive of over 57,000 photographs. Fortunately for us, he’s edited them into a 400-page, twelve-pound behemoth of an autobiography titled PRIVATE.

    I phone Giammetti at his home in New York, and like everything else in this handsome man’s life, even his on-hold music is beautiful and elegant—Gogol, a haunting piece by pianist Chilly Gonzales. Giammetti’s deep and raspier-than-usual Italian-accented voice breaks in: “Hello. How are you? I’m sorry, but I have a terrible cold, so my voice comes and goes.”

    In the early 60s, Giammetti, who took Valentino’s fledgling one-man fashion company and reimagined it into a monster brand, is now retired…or, as he so poetically phrases it, “I am in the business of retirement as my occupation.”

    Giammetti meticulously whittled his enormous photo archive down to the 500 or so published images. His favorite is a photo of Valentino talking with Diana Vreeland, the editor of Vogue at the time. “It’s a tender moment for me because it marked the beginning of our career.  It must have been ’64. Our English—especially for Valentino—wasn’t great. And Diana had her own way of speaking, which also wasn’t easy to understand. You can see from the face of Valentino, his eyes looking up, that he’s probably not understanding a word. He’s thinking, ‘What is she saying? What am I going to answer?’”

    Obviously, not everyone made the book’s cut, so I ask if there were any hurt feelings. “Yes, I’ve had some difficulty—even just today. But my book is not a Wikipedia of society, so if you’re not in the book, it doesn’t mean you aren’t in my memory. My book is also not about nostalgia or regretting. Of course I felt some emotion, particularly because of people who are not here anymore or moments that were not happy.”

    PRIVATE is filled with the most elegant and fashionable women from all generations. “All those ladies of the 60s, like Babe Paley, Gloria Guinness, Liz Taylor, Jackie Kennedy—they were all symbols of a very special elegance. Nan Kempner later on. They would always think about what they were going to wear: the perfect shoes, the perfect bag, the perfect clothes—and all in haute couture. Then there was the elegance of the 70s, where women would no longer buy an outfit from one designer from head to toe. Today, the woman has much more freedom in what she can wear. This is the new elegance.”

    Ironically, for a man whose life has been so robust, his most memorable moment is one of death—the funeral of Pope Giovanni Paolo II in 2005. His voice perks up when he talks about it. “This was one of the most amazing, amazing occasions. I don’t even talk about it in the book. It was a very bright day in Rome in the Piazza San Pietro. Every religious leader was there. There were all these amazing colors of a thousand cardinals, and there was a book on the casket. Suddenly the pages of the book started to move from the wind— it was like he was giving us all a message. It was amazing!”

    As for a sequel, and whom1 he’d like in it: “If there should be another, I don’t  really care very much about photographing anyone from this Facebook generation. I leave this to Mr. Graydon Carter,” he says jokingly.

    Giammetti was only 22, and Valentino 28, when the two met at the Café de Paris on July 31, 1960, and they still see each other every day. After all these years, not only is his undying devotion, loyalty and love for Valentino evident in PRIVATE, but also in the gratitude he expresses. “Without Valentino I wouldn’t do what I’ve done. Without Valentino I wouldn’t be who I am. And without Valentino we wouldn’t be talking at this moment. He’s my friend, my brother, call him as you will—he’s everything if nothing else.”

      PRIVATE by Giancarlo Giammetti, published by Assouline, $250, assouline.com

Art Director: Stephen Kamifuji
Photographer: Yoshi Ohara / YoshiOhara.com
Model: Jessica Forrester / TwoManagement.com
Stylist: Amy Mach / AmyMach.com
Hair: Judd Minter / AimArtist.com
Makeup: Camille Clark / AimArtist.com
Manicure: Denise Bourne / SiriusArtists.com
Photo Assistant: Theodore Dickerson
Photo Assistant: Nicholas Verdi
Post Production: Marcus C. Ludl / deltagram.eu
Location: Aesthesia Studios / Culver City / AesthesiaStudios.com

Giancarlo Giammetti, who helmed the Valentino fashion brand for over 40 years has some words of wisdom for new designers.

Art Direction: Stephen Kamifuji
Photographer: Tracey Morris / TraceyMorris.com
Stylist/Hair/Makeup: Bryan Marryshow / MarryShowStyle.com
Model: Bianca G / PhotogenicsMedia.com  
Manicure: Denise Bourne / SiriusArtists.com
Digital Tech: Robert Morris 
Photo Assistant: Christian Shenouda
Photo Assistant: Jenna Schreck  

Art Direction: Stephen Kamifuji
Photographer: Marc Baptiste / ArtMixCreative.com
Stylist: Lisa C Styles - SiriusArtists.com
Makeup: Melissa Rogers using CHANEL / ArtMix Beauty
Hair: Robert Steinken using Bumble and bumble / CloutierRemix.com   
Manicure: Manicure Elisa Wishan using Orly  
Location: Aesthesia Studios / AesthesiaStudios.com
Digital Post: TweakImaging.com
Digital Tech: Drew Schwartz / pixeldustdigital.com